Increasing the physical activity levels in the elderly appears to be as good for health as quitting smoking, the Oslo II study demonstrated.
Analysis of the study participant data showed that under an hour each week of light physical activity was not associated with any meaningful reduction in risk of death from any cause.
Getting than an hour of physical activity regardless of intensity was linked to a 32% to 56% lower risk of cardiovascular death or death from any other causes.
Less than an hour of vigorous physical activity, on the other hand, was linked to a reduction in risk of between 23% and 37% for cardiovascular disease and death from any cause.
The more time spent doing the vigorous exercise the lower the risk seemed to be, falling by 36% to 49%.
Factoring in that the risk of death from heart disease/stroke rises with age, made only a slight difference to the results.
Men who regularly engaged in moderate to vigorous physical activity during their leisure time lived five years longer, on average than those who were classified as sedentary.
The researchers base their findings on people taking part in the Oslo Study, which invited almost 26,000 men born between 1923 and 1932 for a health check in 1972-73 (Oslo I).
In total 15,000 men participated in this long-term longitude study. Study participants had their height, weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure checked, and they were asked whether they smoked.
They were also asked to respond to a validated survey on their weekly leisure-time physical activity levels.
Physical activity levels were categorized by:
• Sedentary (watching TV/reading);
• Light (walking or cycling, including to and from work for at least 4 hours a week);
• Moderate (formal exercise, sporting activities, heavy gardening for at least 4 hours a week);
• Vigorous (hard training or competitive sports several times a week).
Some 6,000 of the surviving men repeated the process in 2000 (Oslo II) and were monitored for almost 12 years to see if physical activity level over time was associated with a lowered risk of death from cardiovascular disease, or any cause, and if it impacts were equivalent to quitting smoking.
Discover How A Simple To Follow 15-Minutes Workout Can Help You Boost Your Health & Fitness Almost Instantly
During the monitoring period, 2,154 out of the 5,738 men who had participated in both health checks died.
Overall, these studies demonstrated that 30 minutes of physical activity-of light or vigorous intensity-6 days a week was associated with a 40% lower risk of death from any cause.
As an observational study so no definitive conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the researchers point out that only the healthiest participants in the first wave of the study took part in the second wave, which may have lowered the overall absolute risk of death.
But the differences in risk of death between those who were inactive and active were remarkable, even at the age of 73, they suggest.
The study clearly shows that more effort should go into encouraging elderly men to be physically active, with medical professionals stressing the wide range of ill-health that could be warded off, as a result, conclude the researchers.
Working with a Certified Fitness Trainer to get an exercise program that you can manage and work into your daily activity can add years to your life.
Are Elite Athletes Born or Made?
You were given the same opportunities that all the top Elite Athletes had. Believe it.
--The Difference is the Journey.
Gain inside access to the very same training and exercise regimens that the pros use, but above all --their personal journey-- where a true Athlete is made and Mastery is born, playing the game, and sharpening the blade.
Introducing Overall Health. Inside this eBook, you
will discover the topics about the basics on physical health, the basics
on eating right, the basics on exercise, the basics on mental disorders,
the basics on stress, the basics on mental health, the basics on
spiritual health, the basics on inner peace and the benefits of
maintaining overall health.
ความคิดเห็น