01/29/2010 - News

By: June Chen, MD

Previous research has suggested that exercise improves overall health. Over the past 100 years, the average life expectancy in the United States has increased dramatically, from about 47 years in 1900 to about 75 years for men and over 80 years for women in 2005. Although older adults are more likely to be affected by chronic diseases and disability, the development of these conditions is not inevitable. Now, in the January 25, 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists report that higher levels of exercise during middle age are associated with exceptional health status among women .

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health and their colleagues studied a total of 13,535 female participants of the Nurses’ Health Study who were free of major chronic diseases in 1986 and had survived at age 70 years of older in order to assess the impact of exercise on successful survival. Successful survival was defined as no history of 10 major chronic diseases, coronary artery bypass graft surgery, cognitive impairment, physical impairment, or mental health limitations. The researchers found that higher exercise levels at midlife were significantly associated with better odds of successful survival. The type of exercise seemed to make a difference as well – those who increased energy expenditure from walking were even more likely to have exceptional health status.

By 2030, it is estimated that 1 in every 5 ...