Less chronic disease in store for fit 50-year-olds
Source: Agencies |
August 29, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FIT 50-year-olds are less likely to get chronic diseases as they age, according to a US study that sheds new light on the link between exercise and healthy aging.
"It has been known for decades that if you are more fit, you live longer," Dr Jarett Berry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said. "But it has not been clear that you have a higher quality of life, that you age better."
It's possible that fit people just delay the onset of chronic illness, for instance, and end up being sick just as long as their weaker peers. But that doesn't appear to be the case, according to the new research.
"We see truly reduced chronic disease, rather than just delaying the inevitable," said Berry, who led the study.
He and his colleagues studied more than 18,600 healthy men and women who had undergone a treadmill test sometime around age 50 to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness.
Using Medicare claims data spanning an average of 26 years, the researchers then linked the treadmill results to the rate of eight chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and colon cancer.
Among men in the lowest fifth of fitness scores, the rate of chronic disease was 28 percent per year. By contrast, the rate was only 16 percent per year among the top fifth.
For women, the numbers were 20 percent per year versus 11 percent, respectively.
The findings don't prove that exercising more cuts the risk of chronic disease, because it could be that people with a lot of physical activity also eat healthier foods - something the researchers didn't take into account. They did account for smoking, alcohol use, obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Berry said even if genetics are at work, it doesn't mean exercise can't make a difference.
"It has been known for decades that if you are more fit, you live longer," Dr Jarett Berry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center said. "But it has not been clear that you have a higher quality of life, that you age better."
It's possible that fit people just delay the onset of chronic illness, for instance, and end up being sick just as long as their weaker peers. But that doesn't appear to be the case, according to the new research.
"We see truly reduced chronic disease, rather than just delaying the inevitable," said Berry, who led the study.
He and his colleagues studied more than 18,600 healthy men and women who had undergone a treadmill test sometime around age 50 to measure their cardiorespiratory fitness.
Using Medicare claims data spanning an average of 26 years, the researchers then linked the treadmill results to the rate of eight chronic conditions, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and colon cancer.
Among men in the lowest fifth of fitness scores, the rate of chronic disease was 28 percent per year. By contrast, the rate was only 16 percent per year among the top fifth.
For women, the numbers were 20 percent per year versus 11 percent, respectively.
The findings don't prove that exercising more cuts the risk of chronic disease, because it could be that people with a lot of physical activity also eat healthier foods - something the researchers didn't take into account. They did account for smoking, alcohol use, obesity, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Berry said even if genetics are at work, it doesn't mean exercise can't make a difference.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
