[Harumanbo Harucheonja] "Walk well and sleep deeply to stay away from dementia"

Sung Gi-hong, CEO of Vital Six Lab, Predicts Dementia by Walking Speed
Detects Mild Cognitive Impairment Symptoms for Abnormality Check
Brain Activated by Walking Removes Waste During Sleep

Sung Ki-hong, CEO of Vital Six Lab, is explaining the relationship between walking exercise, brain health, and dementia at Yeouido Park in Seoul on the 11th. Photo by Heo Young-han younghan@

The benefits of walking exercise in preventing and healing obesity, diabetes, gout, and stroke have already been medically proven. Numerous experiments have also confirmed that the more you walk, the larger the volume of the hippocampus in our brain becomes, and the prefrontal cortex expands, activating brain function. Now, Seong Gi-hong, CEO of VitalSixLab (pictured), is focusing on how walking exercise affects brain health and dementia. Research results are emerging that by observing walking speed, foot angle, balance, and stride length, one can assess an individual's health status, motor control ability, muscle strength, and cognitive condition.

Dementia is not a disease that appears suddenly one day. It has a characteristic of gradually progressing, showing mild cognitive impairment symptoms at first, as if going through an incubation period. However, it is not easy to detect mild cognitive impairment at the onset stage with modern medicine. CEO Seong claims that by regularly checking one’s gait and capturing the moment when walking speed decreases, starting exercise or medication at that point can delay dementia by about 10 to 15 years. Some university hospital neurology departments also observe walking speed or abnormalities in footsteps by having patients walk down the clinic hallway when diagnosing mild cognitive impairment or dementia. CEO Seong explained, “As people age and physical aging or cognitive decline occurs, walking speed slows down. Healthy individuals walk an average of 1.2 to 1.4 meters per second, but those with mild cognitive impairment can only walk at 0.6 to 0.8 meters per second.”

Changes in gait also differ depending on the cause of dementia. In Alzheimer’s dementia caused by degenerative brain disease, many patients have difficulty maintaining balance, and although their walking is relatively steady, their walking speed is very slow. Parkinson’s disease dementia patients struggle with fine hand movements such as writing and tend to walk with a narrow stride and shuffling steps due to a stooped posture. In vascular dementia caused by cerebrovascular disease, even without paralysis symptoms, patients often find it difficult to take the first step and drag their legs.

CEO Seong emphasized, “If walking speed noticeably slows down without other physical illnesses, dementia should be suspected. Prompt cognitive ability testing should be conducted to confirm dementia, and if diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment, progression to dementia can be delayed as much as possible through medication and exercise.”

Unnecessary substances produced by brain activity are expelled from the body through the bloodstream during sleep. If one does not sleep properly, these wastes accumulate in the brain, causing dementia. Many dementia patients suffer from insomnia, and prolonged insomnia worsens dementia symptoms. CEO Seong said, “You need to be physically active during the day to sleep deeply at night. Regardless of age, walking well and sleeping soundly after walking (improving sleep quality) is essential to protect the health of our brain, body, and mind.”