How physical activity in elderly helps heart health
Thursday November 23rd, 2017
Older people should undertake even moderate amounts of physical activity to benefit their heart health, new research has suggested.
An 18-year study of more than 24 000 adults has found that over 65s who were “moderately inactive” had a 14% reduced risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who were completely inactive.
The research, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, concludes that the over 65s should be encouraged to at least do low intensity physical activities such as walking, gardening and housework.
First author Dr Sangeeta Lachman, a cardiologist at the Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, said: “We know that regular physical activity has major health benefits. Healthy adults are advised to do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes a week of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
“These recommendations are based primarily on research in middle-aged adults and we wanted to know whether regular physical activity yields comparable cardiovascular health benefits in elderly people.”
The research compared the association between different levels of physical activity and the risk of cardiovascular disease in elderly to middle-aged individuals.
The study included 24,502 people aged between 39 and 79 years, all of whom were part of the Norfolk cohort in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC), recruited between 1993 and 1997.
They all completed a health and lifestyle questionnaire, underwent a standardised physical examination and gave blood samples. Their physical activity during work and leisure time was assessed with a questionnaire and participants were categorised as active, moderately active, moderately inactive and inactive. They were followed up until 31 March 2015.
During a median follow-up, there were 5, 240 cardiovascular disease events. In over 65s, hazard ratios for cardiovascular events were 0.86, 0.87, and 0.88 in moderately inactive, moderately active and active people, respectively, compared to inactive people. In participants under 55 and those in the 55-65 age bracket, the associations were directionally similar, but not statistically significant.
Dr Lachman said: “We observed an inverse association between physical activity and the risk of cardiovascular disease in both elderly and middle-aged people. As expected, there were more cardiovascular events in elderly participants, which could explain why the association only reached significance in this age category.
“Given our ageing population and the impact of cardiovascular disease on society, a broader array of public health programmes are needed to help elderly people engage in any physical activity of any level and avoid being completely sedentary.”
Lachman S, et al. Impact of physical activity on the risk of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged and older adults: EPIC Norfolk prospective population study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology 22 November 2017; doi: 10.1177/2047487317737628
Tags: Elderly Health | Europe | Fitness | Heart Health
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