Walking faster and outpacing death

Researchers who followed the health of nearly 500 older people for almost a decade found that those who walked more quickly were less likely to die over the course of the study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The findings, the researchers said, suggest that gait speed may be a good predictor of long-term survival, even in people who otherwise appear basically healthy. The researchers also found that people whose walking speed improved reduced their risk of death.