Until recently there was little research supporting the benefits of being physically active to the very old. So, do people live longer with exercise even if they are in their “golden” years?
Israeli researchers are the first to find that even a little bit of activity (about 4 hours a week) in the routines of the most elderly people (those in their mid to late 80s) can extend life by at least few years.
In fact, the three year survival rate of active subjects in their 80s was almost three times higher compared to those of the same age group who weren’t active.
What’s more, those who were active even at this advanced age reported less loneliness and depression, along with a better ability to do everyday things. It seems that exercise, when done properly and regularly, has benefits to body, mind and quality of life at any age.
The study included 1,861 residents of Jerusalem who were seventy years old in 1990. The participants filled out questionnaires covering their health and levels of activity from this point through 2008.
At age 85, 64% of the subjects were physically active – a large number that’s almost certainly a factor of the Israeli lifestyle. Still, the team believes that the benefits of being active would be seen in the elderly populations of other countries.
During the course of the study there were 512 deaths, just a bit fewer than 7% of the active 85 year olds were dead by the age of 88; about 24% of the 85 year olds who were not active had died by this same age.
A look at the percentages here tells the tale that death rates were lower in the active seniors. The team even accounted for factors that affect survival such as the participants overall health and smoking status, and yet still activity levels were strongly related to living longer.
The results of this work add weight to the idea that being active, even in old age, is good for you.
Similar benefits have been shown for younger people, those in their 60s and 70s. What’s most encouraging of all is that it’s never too late to start. Even for those of this age group who weren’t active before, once they started, their three year survival rate was double that of the inactive subjects of the same age.
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Exercise Goes A Long Way – Even In Your Mid 80s Continued…
Experts not involved in the work point out that the study can’t rule out that subjects who were able to exercise at such an advanced age might have started off healthier in the first place.
The good news for older folks is that the type of activity doesn’t have to be super-strenuous, it can as gentle as walking in 15 minute increments a few times a day. “As little as four hours a week was as beneficial as more vigorous or prolonged activity,” points out study author Dr. Jeremy Jacobs, a geriatric specialist at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem.
If you’d like to get more active, but you’re getting up there in years, don’t despair. Talk with your doctor about the kinds of activity that might be right for you.
Consider working with a personal trainer so that you’re using proper form – so you get the most from your workout and reduce the chance you’ll hurt yourself.
You’ll also want to be sure you take in enough fluids – especially if you’re active in warmer weather. It’s important to start slow and build over time. As the research shows, people do live longer with exercise, and you don’t need to be doing workouts worthy of professional athletes, just getting up and going is enough.
To your good health,
Daily Health Bulletin
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