Keeping active key to elderly health?
Friday May 15th, 2015
Elderly men benefit massively from taking half an hour's exercise a day, researchers report today.
It
is linked to a 40% lower risk of dying than that faced by men of the same
age who are inactive, according to Norwegian researchers.
The benefits apply whether the physical activity is leisurely or intense, researchers report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Gardening, walking and sport may all offer benefits, they say.
The findings come from a study of some 26,000 men from Oslo, Norway, born between 1923 and 1932. These undertook a health check in the early 1970s and nearly 6,000 survivors underwent another one in 2000.
Researchers said the amount of time spent on exercise was closely linked to survival.
They admit the study is observational and cannot prove a link between fitness and survival. One factor may be that the least active men were already the unhealthiest.
But researcher Professor Ingar Holme, of the Norwegian School of Sports Sciences, Oslo, said: "The impact would seem to be as good for health as quitting smoking among this age group."
British Journal of Sports Medicine 15 May 2015 [abstract]
Tags: Elderly Health | Europe | Fitness
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