Researchers at Edith Cowan University (ECU) not too long ago studied over a thousand girls across the age of 75 and checked out two pace and energy measurements: grip energy (an essential indicator of general well being and longevity) and a metric known as “timed up and go,” TUG (in which people are timed as they get up from a chair, walk a short distance, and return to the chair1).
For over 15 years, scientists monitored these women for declines in speed and strength metrics. They found that women with significant declines in these areas were up to twice as likely as their counterparts to have a late-life dementia event (either a dementia-related hospitalization or death).
And while this might sound alarming to anyone getting older or watching their loved ones slow down with age, it is important to remember two things: For starters, some decline in strength and speed is normal for anyone in their 70s, especially if relatively mild. Also, early-stage research and findings like this may help identify early-stage dementia and encourage preventative therapies that can help stave off cognitive decline.
“Incorporating muscle function tests as part of dementia screening could be useful to identify high-risk individuals, who might then benefit from primary prevention programs aimed at preventing the onset of the condition such as a healthy diet and a physically active lifestyle,” examine writer Marc Sim, Ph.D. mentioned in a press release.
Sim provides that grip energy and TUG checks aren’t presently carried out in scientific observe, however each are cheap and easy assesments that might be launched as a part of dementia screening.