Introduction: Grip strength and walking pace have been linked to cognitive dysfunction. Their relationships, however, demand further clarification as the evidence is derived primarily from less-comprehensive investigations.
Methods: A total of 340212 UK Biobank participants without dementia and cardiovascular diseases at baseline were analyzed. Cox proportional hazard models assessed the longitudinal associations.
Results: Over a mean follow-up of 8.51 ± 2.68 years, 2424 incident dementia cases were documented. A 5 kg increment of absolute grip strength was associated with lower risks of all-cause dementia (hazard ratio [HR] 0.857), Alzheimer's disease (HR 0.874), and vascular dementia (HR 0.788). The patterns of associations remained similar when grip strength was expressed in relative terms and quintiles. A slow walking pace demonstrated consistent associations with increased risks of all dementia types.
Discussion: Our findings provide amplified evidence and suggest that muscle fitness, reflected by objective grip strength measures and self-reported walking pace, may be imperative for estimating the risks of dementia.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease; dementia; exercise; strength; vascular dementia.
© 2022 the Alzheimer's Association.