Health
If you walk slowly or have a weak handshake, this may not be a good sign. A new study has found that those who walk slowly are more likely to develop dementia, and the strength of a handshake can say a lot about the risk of stroke.
Suggestions about the link between low travel speed and poor health have been put forward even earlier. For example, in 2009, a study found that there is a link between walking slowly and the risk of dying from a heart attack and other heart problems, and another study found a link between a quick step and a long life.
Scientists from Boston Medical Center in the United States analyzed walking speed and handshake strength in 2,410 people who were on average 62 years old. Eleven years after the study began, 34 people developed dementia and 79 had a stroke. The researchers said that slow walking speed was associated with a high risk of dementia, and a strong handshake was associated with a lower risk of stroke.
Scientists stressed that more research is needed to understand why this happens, and whether the disease can provoke slow walking and a decrease in handshake strength even before the onset clinical signs.
The good news is that you can do a lot to reduce your risk of dementia.
Experts recommend a healthy, balanced diet, quitting smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising daily, and checking blood pressure and cholesterol regularly.
About a third of those who have a stroke experience physical limitations, such as weakness in the arms or difficulty moving, for example. Current research has shown that similar symptoms are present even before a stroke.