Even moderate levels of physical exercise prevent heart
disease and prolong life, and the degree of benefit increases
as the level of physical activity rises, according to
a recent report released.
Although the benefits of physical activity are widely
recognized, it is unclear whether the level of physical
activity significantly affects life expectancy or the
length of time people enjoy life free of heart disease.
To address these questions, researchers evaluated data
on a group of people over age 50 who participated in the
Framingham Heart study. This study has followed some 5,200
residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, over the past
46 years.
After adjustment for smoking status, co-illnesses, and
other relevant factors, the authors estimate that subjects
who participated in moderate physical activity starting
at age 50 lived 1.3 years longer, and 1.1 year longer
free of heart disease, than sedentary subjects.
Those who participated in high levels of physical activity
lived 3.5 years longer overall, and had 3.2 years longer
free of cardiovascular disease. The differences were similar
for both genders.
"Our study suggests that following an active lifestyle
is an effective way to achieve healthy aging," Dr. Oscar
H. Franco, from Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam
in the Netherlands, and his colleagues conclude.
In a related study, researchers looked at what impact
a doctor's advice to exercise at various frequencies and
intensities has on exercise behavior in 492 healthy but
sedentary men and women ages 30 to 69 years.
According to the records that the subjects kept, the
amount of exercise they actually completed was lower than
the levels prescribed, the investigators report.
"The bottom line," Dr. Michael G. Perri from the University
of Florida in Gainesville stated, is that when a doctor
prescribes exercise to people, they don't do as much as
prescribed. They do about 60 percent of the amount they
are asked to do.
"The implications are that (doctors) probably have to
encourage people to aim high both in terms of frequency
and pace when using walking as an exercise to achieve
observable benefit," Perri said.
In other words, he added, "shoot for 30 minutes walking
at a brisk pace every day."
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, November 14, 2005.
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