Older People Are Largely Not Active Enough for Good Health

If regular exercise were a drug, it would be prescribed for everyone - and particularly older people, given that the reductions in risk of mortality and many age-related conditions are sizable in comparison to what can be achieved via medical technology at the present time. Frailty and sarcopenia in particular are amenable to treatment via structured exercise programs: a perhaps surprisingly large degree of the loss of muscle mass and strength is a matter of disuse in later life, rather than the presently unavoidable damage of aging. Yet we live in a world in which near everyone in wealthier regions of the world exercises too little, and as a consequence suffers the declines of age more rapidly. Physical function (i.e., aerobic capacity, gait speed, and muscle strength) has been proposed as a biomarker of healthy ageing, as it is predictive of adverse health events, disability, and mortality. The role of physical exercise as a therapeutic strategy for prevention of both disease and the associated decline in functional capacity has been emphasised repeatedly. Supervised exercise interventions in hospitalised older people (aged ≥75 years) have been proved to be safe and effective in preventing or attenuating functional and cognitive decline. Unfortunately, few studies have explored the potential role of tailored physical activity guidelines to maximise exercise-related effect on function. Also, exercise has not been fully integrated into primary or geriatric m...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs