Why do some seniors expe­ri­ence rapid decline in their daily func­tion while oth­ers con­tinue strongly and inde­pen­dently into their nineties and beyond?

A group of researchers in Japan tried to answer this question.

They mea­sured a lot of fac­tors that might influ­ence an individual’s health, longevity and abil­ity to func­tion inde­pen­dently – what doc­tors call an activ­i­ties of daily liv­ing assess­ment (the ADL index).

Bet­ter Per­for­mance on Activ­i­ties of Daily Liv­ing Test

The three mea­sures that pre­dicted bet­ter per­for­mance on the activ­i­ties of daily liv­ing test were

• Age
• Blood pres­sure, and
• Walk­ing speed

Sur­pris­ingly, the mea­sure­ment that was the best pre­dic­tor of ADL scores was walk­ing speed.

Other research pro­vides cor­rob­o­ra­tion to these find­ings. For instance, a study from the Uni­ver­sity of Pitts­burgh that was released in 2007 showed that, among those over age 65, the fastest group of walk­ers (more than 2.5 mph) had a 90% like­li­hood of sur­viv­ing ten years or more com­pared to only a 20% chance for those in the slow­est group (less than 1.5 mph).

What makes this news even bet­ter is that there’s no upper age limit to the body’s inner power of regen­er­a­tion and adap­ta­tion. That means any­one, at any age, can improve his or her walk­ing speed. It’s never too late.

And if you’re younger, now’s the time to boost your fit­ness and develop a reserve tank of energy.

What’s your plan? What are you doing today to enjoy life more fully and build your health?

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Dr. Lavine -
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