From Sharon O'Brien,
Your Guide to Senior Living.
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People age 50 and older who engage in moderate or high levels of physical activity live longer and have less heart disease, according to a study that followed a group of men and women for more than 40 years.

Life Expectancy Increases with Exercise
The study authors report that total life expectancy increased as levels of physical activity increased.

For men 50 years or older:

• Moderate physical activity levels led to 1.3 years more in total life expectancy and 1.1 years lived without cardiovascular disease
• High levels of physical activity added 3.7 years to life expectancy and 3.2 more years lived without cardiovascular disease

For women 50 years or older:

• Moderate physical activity levels led to 1.5 years more in total life expectancy, and 1.3 more years lived without cardiovascular disease
• High levels of physical activity added 3.5 years to total life expectancy, and 3.3 more years lived free of cardiovascular disease.

“This study shows that higher levels of physical activity not only prolong total life expectancy but also life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease at age 50 years,” researchers reported. “This effect is already seen at moderate levels of physical activity, and the gains in cardiovascular disease-free life expectancy at higher levels are more than twice as large.”

How the Life Expectancy Study was Conducted
Using data from the Framingham Heart Study, which has followed 5,209 residents of Framingham, Mass., over the past 46 years, researchers at the University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands, calculated the effects of low, moderate, or high levels of physical activity on people age 50 and older.

The study was adjusted for age, sex, smoking habits, and coexisting diseases, including cancer, arthritis, , left ventricular hypertrophy (enlargement of the left pumping chamber of the heart), ankle edema, and pulmonary (lung) disease.

It’s Never Too Late to Benefit from Increased Physical Activity
The study authors recommend that everyone would benefit from adopting an active lifestyle, and that even moderate levels of activity will help people enjoy a healthier and longer life. As they report, “Our study suggests that following an active lifestyle is an effective way to achieve healthy aging.”

Source: Archives of Internal Medicine 2005;165:2355-2360