Taking a single step is an action many people rarely think about.
For younger adults and those without mobility issues, walking typically feels automatic and effortless.
But later in life, the time it takes to move one foot forward may offer an important window into longevity and the risk of death.
Researchers in Israel examined whether balance, posture and muscle control were linked to survival among older adults over nearly 20 years.
Their analysis found that each additional 100 milliseconds — or one-tenth of a second — needed to begin a voluntary step while distracted was associated with an almost 30 percent higher risk of death during the follow-up period.
The exact timing can differ depending on factors such as height, fitness and usual walking pace, but starting a normal step generally takes about 600 to 700 milliseconds. During running or sprinting, that drops to roughly 300 to 400 milliseconds.
The researchers suggest that delayed step initiation may reflect broader neurological and physical resilience in older age — essentially, how well the brain and body respond to stress and adapt to challenges.
Balance problems, for example, can raise the likelihood of falls, which in older adults may result in fractures, loss of muscle mass and traumatic brain injuries.
A new study has shown that people who need more time to take a step have a 28 percent higher risk of death
The study authors noted that conducting similar experiments may help improve long-term survival odds in older adults.
‘Incorporating dual-task based assessments into standard clinical evaluations could significantly improve survival prediction and help guide early interventions targeting cognitive-motor health,’ they wrote.
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Walking speed gradually diminishes with age as a result of muscle weakness, lower joint flexibility, weaker balance and slower brain processing.
For instance, calf muscles and fibers naturally degrade over time, which causes older people to take shorter steps, slowing down their overall speed.
Nerve signals in areas of the brain responsible for motor functions also suffer delays, resulting in miscommunications between the brain and muscles.
Age-related conditions like osteoarthritis in the knees, hips and feet also result in pain that makes older individuals slow their pace or take longer in between steps.
In the new study, published in the journal Gerontology, researchers recruited 120 adults over 65, with an average age of 78, and followed them for 10 to 17 years.
Participants had to be able to stand for at least 90 seconds on their own and walk at least 10 meters (32 feet) to be eligible for the study.
Researchers asked the participants to step as quickly as possible forward, backward and sideways. They would practice walking and then walk while performing a modified Stroop task, which involves naming the ink color of words printed in mismatched colors.
The team found that for each additional 100 millisecond increase in step initiation time under distracted conditions, mortality risk increased by 28 percent over the coming 10 to 17 years.
People who did not survive the study period took 423 milliseconds to initiate a step compared to 313 milliseconds on average for those who survived.
Each step for non-survivors took 1.3 seconds compared to 1.1 seconds for survivors.
People with weaker balance while standing with their eyes closed were also more likely to die within the follow-up period.
The researchers noted that slower step initiation can trigger a cascade of mortality factors such as reduced physical activity.
There were several limitations to the study, including the small sample size and only testing the participants in one set of experiments. The researchers also note that the study can only show associations rather than direct causes.
