Do you know how old your brain is? The way you walk reveals it.

You've probably never thought about it, but your gait may be saying more than you think. New scientific research has revealed that your walking speed reflects not only your physical fitness but also the rate at which your brain ages. What is your body saying?

What was long considered a simple personality trait or daily energy boost may become a key indicator of brain health.

According to a study led by Duke University, people who walk slower at age 45 not only have lower physical performance, but also have smaller brains, lower cognitive ability, and age faster than their faster peers.

As an article published by BBC News points out , walking is such a common activity that it's rarely analyzed. However, specialists in neurology and preventive medicine assure that the coordination required to take steps involves the brain, heart, lungs, vision, muscles, and balance. When any of these systems begin to fail, walking is one of the first visible symptoms.

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“A slower gait may be the first sign of accelerated aging, even before other clinical symptoms appear,” explains neuroscientist Line Rasmussen, highlighting the clinical importance of detecting this behavior. Lead author of one of the most revealing studies on the subject, Rasmussen’s research directly links walking speed to the health of key organs such as the lungs, heart, and immune system.

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What is the normal walking pace?

According to international data, the average walking speed for a person between 40 and 49 years old is between 1.39 m/s (women) and 1.43 m/s (men). However, this figure decreases significantly with age. In adults over 80, for example, the average speed is less than 1 m/s. One of the simplest tests for determining walking speed is walking 10 meters at a normal pace and timing yourself. Dividing the distance by the number of seconds gives you your walking speed.

For this purpose, you can also use applications such as Google Fit, Strava or MapMyWalk, which perform this measurement automatically.

Studies show that those who walk faster tend to live longer and with a better quality of life. Even among healthy people, slower walkers have up to three times the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared to those who maintain a brisk pace.