A recent study reveals that older people who walk faster may have a longer life. Brisk walking is highly advantageous in having a longer life.

Gathering information of 34,000 people aged 65 and above from nine studies, researchers were able to find out that the average walking speed of a person is .92 meters or three feet in one second.

For the past 10 years, there were 17,528 deaths reported and that gait speed was said to be very significant in survival of elderly people above 75. If there is an increase of 0.1 meter per second in gait speed, the risks of death will be reduced to 12 percent.

Dr. Stephanie Studenski of the University of Pittsburgh, the lead author of the research said that when a person walks, there is a required energy and movement control, including support and places demands on organ systems that include the heart, lungs, musculoskeletal, nervous and circulatory systems. Slow walking would require higher cost of energy.

If you walk slower than .6 meters or two feet in a second, chances are your life will be cut short. There should be an effort in walking at a gait speed so that people will get used to it. Gait speed is actually an indication of being healthy especially to older people.