Monday, October 5, 2015
Exercise Reduces Mortality in Older Adults
2:08 PM | 
Posted by
Kaplan Center for Health and Wellness
We all know that exercise is good for us, right? Regular exercise increases strength, helps control
body weight, improves self-image, increases energy, regulates sleep patterns
and protects bone density.
But, did you
know that exercise – even just a little – reduces your risk for death as you age?
Current exercise recommendations are for people over 60
years old to engage in moderate to vigorous exercise for 150 minutes each
week. According to survey data, more
than 60% of adults in this age group find the recommendation too
demanding. Researchers wanted to know if
a lesser exercise target could also produce protective effects.
Dr. David Hupin and colleagues turned to published data to
find the answer. The authors used PubMed
and Embase databases, with only prospective cohort studies included. Results of nine cohort studies were included,
taking into account 122,417 participants and 18,122 reported deaths.
Findings were expressed in “metabolic equivalent of task” – or
MET – units. This unit expresses the
amount of calories expended per minute of physical activity.
After pooling data from these studies, the
researchers found an inverse relationship between the number of MET minutes
performed per week and risk of death. In
comparison to a completely sedentary lifestyle, participants getting 1 to 499
MET minutes of exercise weekly cut their risk of death by 22%. Adults taking in 500 to 999 MET minutes cut
their risk by 28% -- and those getting 1000 MET minutes (or more) cut their
risk by 35%. Basically, these findings
demonstrate that “some is good, but more is better” when it comes to exercise!
What does this all mean?
Dr. Hupin and colleagues conclude that 250 MET minutes
(which is about 75 minutes) per week of moderate to vigorous physical activity
was a more reasonable goal for adults age 60 or over. After all, a clear reduction in mortality
risk was associated with this lower target for physical activity. The researchers also noted – this would be just
15 minutes daily, 5 days a week.
Talk about a reason to get moving!
Reference:
Harrison, L. Even a Little Exercise May Reduce Mortality in Elders. 2015. Medscape Medical News. Retrieved from: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/848993
Written by:
Sara Police, PhD
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