Exercise helps a lot
time2011/02/16
Exercise in general, and running in particular, helps to ward off disability in old age and may even extend life, according to a study that has taken more than 20 years to complete. The notion that exercise is good for you has been around for a long time, but the new study, carried out at Stanford University and published in this month's Archives of Internal Medicine, is one of the first to test its veracity over an extended period.
In 1984 Eliza Chakravarty and her colleagues surveyed 284 members of a nationwide running club as well as 156 healthy individuals recruited as controls from university faculty and staff. All the participants were older than 50 when the study began and all were required to complete an annual questionnaire giving details of exercise frequency, body mass index and disability.
After 19 years, 15 per cent of the runners had died compared with 34 per cent of the control group. The runners consistently showed lower levels of disability as they approached their 90s. The researchers say their findings support the idea that moderate to vigorous activity at all ages improves length and quality of life.
In 1984 Eliza Chakravarty and her colleagues surveyed 284 members of a nationwide running club as well as 156 healthy individuals recruited as controls from university faculty and staff. All the participants were older than 50 when the study began and all were required to complete an annual questionnaire giving details of exercise frequency, body mass index and disability.
After 19 years, 15 per cent of the runners had died compared with 34 per cent of the control group. The runners consistently showed lower levels of disability as they approached their 90s. The researchers say their findings support the idea that moderate to vigorous activity at all ages improves length and quality of life.