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February 15th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15 (HealthDay News) — How fast you walk or how
strong your grip is in middle age might help predict your odds for
dementia or stroke later in life, a new study suggests.
Tests assessing walking speed and grip can be easily performed in a
doctor’s office, noted study author Dr. Erica C. Camargo, of the Boston
Medical Center.
She and her colleagues tested the walking speed, hand grip strength and
cognitive function of more than 2,400 people, average age 62. The
participants also underwent brain scans.
During a follow-up period of up to 11 years, 34 people went on to
develop dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) and 70 had a stroke.
People who had a slower walking speed at the start of the study were
1.5 times more likely to develop dementia than those with a faster walking
speed, according to the findings, which are slated to be presented at the
annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) in New Orleans
in April.
People aged 65 and older who had a stronger hand grip strength at the
start of the study had a 42 percent lower risk of stroke or mini-stroke
(transient ischemic attack) than those with weaker hand grip strength.
This difference was not seen in people younger than 65.
“While frailty and lower physical performance in elderly people have
been associated with an increased risk of dementia, we weren’t sure until
now how it impacted people of middle age,” Camargo said in an AAN news
release.
The researchers also found that slower walking speed was associated
lower total cerebral brain volume and poorer performance on memory,
language and decision-making tests. Stronger hand grip was associated with
larger total cerebral brain volume and better results on tests of thinking
and memory in which people had to identify similarities among objects.
“Further research is needed to understand why this is happening and
whether preclinical disease could cause slow walking and decreased
strength,” Camargo said.
Experts said the findings might be valuable in assessing patient
risk.
“It is unclear why there is such a correlation between walking speed
and hand grip on these disease processes, yet they are two simple tests
that can give us a pre-clinical clue as to what we might expect, and
enable us to implement prevention,” said Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, a
preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.
Dr. Marshall Keilson, director of neurology at Maimonides Medical
Center, also in New York City, agreed. “At the very least,” he noted,
“this research suggests novel approaches to early identification of
dementia and stroke risk. It would be interesting to test an even younger
patient population with the same protocol.”
Findings presented at medical meetings should be considered preliminary
until published in a peer-revised journal.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about dementia.
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