Exercise has previously been linked to beneficial effects on arthritis, falls
and fractures, heart disease, lung disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity, write
Jeff Williamson, M.D., M.H.S., and Marco Pahor, M.D., of University of Florida,
Gainesville, in a commentary. All of these conditions threaten older adults'
ability to function independently and handle tasks of daily living.
"Regular physical activity has also been associated with greater longevity as
well as reduced risk of physical disability and dependence, the most important
health outcome, even more than death, for most older people," they continue.
Four new studies published in this issue of the Archives -- outlined below --
"move the scientific enterprise in this area further along the path toward the
goal of understanding the full range of important aging-related outcomes for
which exercise has a clinically relevant impact."
Midlife Exercise Associated With Better Health in Later
Years
Among women who survive to age 70 or older, those who regularly participated
in physical activity during middle age appear more likely to be in better
overall health. Qi Sun, M.D., Sc.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health,
Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, and colleagues
analyzed data from 13,535 participants in the Nurses' Health Study.
The women reported their physical activity levels in 1986, at an average age
of 60. Among those who had survived to age 70 or older as of 1995 to 2001, those
who had higher levels of physical activity at the beginning of the study were
less likely to have chronic diseases, heart surgery or any physical, cognitive
or mental impairments.
"Since the American population is aging rapidly and nearly a quarter of
Americans do not engage in any leisure-time activity, our findings appear to
support federal guidelines regarding physical activity to promote health among
older people and further emphasize the potential of activity to enhance overall
health and well-being with aging," the authors conclude. "The notion that
physical activity can promote successful survival rather than simply extend the
lifespan may provide particularly strong motivation for initiating
activity."
Resistance Training Programs Appear to Improve Some Cognitive Skills
in Older Women
One year of once- or twice-weekly resistance training appears to improve
attention and conflict resolution skills among older women. Teresa Liu-Ambrose,
Ph.D., P.T., of Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute and University of
British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada, and colleagues studied 155 women age 65 to
75. Participants were randomly assigned to participate in resistance training
once (54 women) or twice (52 women) weekly, whereas 49 women in a control group
participated in twice-weekly balance and tone training.
After one year, women in both resistance training groups significantly
improved their scores on tests of selective attention (maintaining mental focus)
and conflict resolution. The program simultaneously improved muscular function
in the women.
"This has important clinical implications because cognitive impairment is a
major health problem that currently lacks a clearly effective pharmaceutical
therapy and because resistance training is not widely adopted by seniors," the
authors write. "The doses of resistance training we used in this study fall
within those recommended by the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for
seniors."
Physical Activity May Be Associated With Reduced Cognitive Impairment
In Elderly Population
Moderate or high physical activity appears to be associated with a lower the
risk of developing cognitive impairment in older adults after a two-year period.
Thorleif Etgen, M.D., of Technische Universität München, Munich, and Klinikum
Traunstein, Germany, and colleagues examined physical activity and cognitive
function in 3,903 participants (older than 55) from southern Bavaria, Germany
between 2001 and 2003.
At the beginning of the study, 418 participants (10.7 percent) had cognitive
impairment. After two years, 207 (5.9 percent) of the remaining 3,485 unimpaired
study participants developed cognitive impairment. "The incidence of new
cognitive impairment among participants with no, moderate and high activity at
baseline was 13.9 percent, 6.7 percent and 5.1 percent, respectively," the
authors write.
"Future large randomized controlled intervention trials assessing the
quantity (e.g., no activity vs. moderate vs. high activity) and quality (aerobic
exercise or any kind type of physical exercise, like balance and strength
training or even integrated physical activities like dancing or games) of
physical activity that is required to prevent or delay a decline in cognitive
function are recommended," they conclude.
Exercise Program Associated With Denser Bones, Lower Fall Risk in
Older Women
Women age 65 or older assigned to an exercise program for 18 months appeared
to have denser bones and a reduced risk of falls, but not a reduced
cardiovascular disease risk, compared with women in a control group. Wolfgang
Kemmler, Ph.D., and colleagues at Freidrich-Alexander University of
Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany, studied a total of 246 older women. Half
of the women exercised four days per week with special emphasis on intensity
while the other half participated in a wellness program that focused on
well-being.
Among the 227 women who completed the study, the 115 who exercised had higher
bone density in their spine and hip, and also had a 66 percent reduced rate of
falls. Fractures due to falls were twice as common in the controls vs. the
exercise group (12 vs. six). However, the 10-year risk of cardiovascular disease
-- assessed using the Framingham Risk Calculator, which incorporates factors
such as cholesterol level, blood pressure and presence of diabetes -- decreased
in both groups and did not differ between the two.
"Because this training regimen can be easily adopted by other institutions
and health care providers, a broad implementation of this program is feasible,"
the authors conclude.
aging
