However, leisure-time physical activity once or twice a week improves
the chances of survival even more, says Kristina Sundquist, M.D., Ph.D.,
of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm.
For that reason, Sundquist says, “preventive resources
among the elderly should provide more opportunities for physical activity.”
The study appears in the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine.
Sundquist and colleagues interviewed 3,206 people aged 65 and older, following
them for 12 years or until they died.
Those who exercised occasionally reduced their chances
of death before the study’s end by 28 percent. Those who were physically
active once a week reduced their early mortality risk by 40 percent,
but exercising
more frequently or more vigorously beyond that level did not improve
their
outcomes.
Physical activity probably keeps people alive longer because it reduces
the likelihood of death from heart disease, Sundquist says.
Diabetes, hypertension and current smoking also increased risk of mortality.
Obesity was not a risk factor in this group, she says.
To encourage moderate exercise among the elderly, Sundquist suggests that
senior centers offer opportunities for walking or bicycling, and that doctors
do more.
“Healthcare professionals should encourage elderly people to be
physically active, even occasionally,” she says.
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health,
the Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, the Swedish Research
Council, the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and the Stockholm County
Council.
