Two separate studies further emphasized the importance of exercise in older individuals, as regular workouts were linked to better heart health and a decreased likelihood of developing cancer.
Keeping Your Ticker Happy
A study by researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found that individuals that increased their fitness levels over an 8-year period, as well as those who continued to stay fit, reported lower rates of hospitalization for heart failure than those who had low levels of fitness.
“The risk of heart failure in your 60s and 70s is modifiable through sustained exercise beginning in midlife,” Dr. Ambarish Pandey said in an interview with MedPage Today. “We have known for a few decades that a change in fitness is associated with a reduced risk of mortality. But no one had looked at the impact of improved fitness over time on the risk of heart failure.”
For their study, researchers ranked the fitness levels of over 9,000 participants. Each individual was assigned a fitness level, 1 being the lowest level and 5 being the highest level of fitness. The average age of a participant was 48 years old.
Researchers conducted an initial cardiorespiratory fitness test at the beginning of the study, and they ran a similar test about 8 years later. After analyzing the results, researcher found:
- Participants who had a high level of fitness and maintained that level had a heart hospitalization rate of about 0.30%
- Participants who had low fitness but increased their fitness to a high level experienced a heart hospitalization rate of about 0.65%
- Those who went from high to low fitness had a rate of about 0.75%
- Those who had a low level and stayed at that level had a heart hospitalization rate of 0.83%
Pandey said the results confirmed the importance of exercise as we age.
“It’s important to realize that the benefit of reduced heart failure hospitalization comes from sustained exercise over time.”
Fitness Lowers Cancer Risk
Researchers at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas found that physical fitness in middle-aged men can reduce the risk of lung and colorectal cancer, and exercise can decrease the mortality rates for men who develop these cancers.
For their study, researchers examined 17,049 men to determine their fitness level and lung capacity. The average age of a participant was 50 years old. The study then looked at clinical data 20 years later to determine how many patients had developed prostate, colorectal or lung cancer, the most common cancers among U.S. men.
Researchers found that 2,332 individuals were diagnosed with prostate cancer, 276 with colorectal cancer, and 277 with lung cancer. Over the time period, cancer was the cause of death in 347 patients.
After comparing the data to the previous fitness tests, researchers found that men in the highest quintile of fitness were significantly less likely to develop lung or colorectal cancer, although their was no difference in prostate cancer rates.
Dr. Susan Lakoswi, a researcher in the study, said the findings might impact how doctors prescribe exercise routines for patients.
“Physical activity and fitness are very different,” said Lakoski.
She also cautioned that simply because a person is not obese, doesn’t mean they are physically fit.
“Even if men are not obese, they still have an increased risk of cancer if they aren’t fit,” she said.
Dr. Silverman comments
These studies really highlight the importance of exercise and physical fitness as we age. Workout out is really healthy for you, as it reduces your risk of heart disease and cancer development.
Now that winter is gone, I urge people to get outside and stay active. Summer is here, which gives you less of an excuse to skip your workout.
It’s time we as a nation put down the remote and went outside.
Related source: MedPage Today
