Review shows Even Small Amounts of Exercise Benefit the Elderly

by | Jan 4, 2016 | 2015, Aging, Alternative Therapies, Fitness and Exercise

Written by Greg Arnold, DC, CSCS. Review of studies shows that risk of death is significantly reduced by 22% to 35% for lowest to highest levels of physical activity. lp-Alzheimers-Disease

Research has consistently shown that regular physical activity increases life expectancy, improves quality of life (1, 2), and reduces the overall risk of death (called “all-cause mortality”) (4, 5, 6). The Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous physical activity (7).

However, most of the physical activity guidelines are the same for middle-aged adults and older adults (2, 3). Now a new study (8) suggests that even low amounts of exercise can produce significant health results in the elderly. Researchers analyzed 9 studies of 122,417 participants (73,745 women, 48, 672 men) between the ages of 68 and 77. They were followed for an average of 9.8 years and during this time, 8,122 deaths were reported (14.8%). The researchers divided the subjects into different exercise groups, based on weekly Metabolic Equivalent of Task (MET) minutes completed per week:

  • Inactive: Control group
  • Low: 1-499 MET minutes per week
  • Medium: 500-999 MET minutes per week
  • High: 1000 or more MET minutes per week

A metabolic equivalent of task (MET) describes the energy expenditure of a specific physical activity, with resting energy expenditure classified as 1 MET. Physical activity of 3–5 METs is “moderate”, and 6 or more METs is “vigorous”. A combination of 4 METs of physical activity for 15 minutes and 6 METs of physical activity for 15 minutes 5 days a week is equivalent to 750 MET minutes per week (8, 9).

The researchers found that even low levels of activity (1-499 MET minutes per week, ~15 minutes per day) resulted in a 22% reduced risk of death (p<0.0001). Medium levels of exercise (500-999 MET minutes/week) reduced the risk of death by 28% (p<0.0001). As expected, the highest amount of activity (1000 or more MET minutes/week) produced the highest risk reduction (35%, p<0.0001).

For the researchers, “This protective effect [of exercise on reducing risk of death] appears dose-dependent and is already significant for a low dose (1–499 MET-minutes per week)” and that “These results can guide future recommendations for older adults and may improve adherence to regular physical activity programs and thus their global health.”

Source: Hupin, David, et al. “Even a low-dose of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces mortality by 22% in adults aged≥ 60 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis.” British journal of sports medicine 49.19 (2015): 1262-1267.

© 2015, BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Medicine

Posted September 3, 2015.

Greg Arnold is a Chiropractic Physician practicing in Hauppauge, NY.  You can contact Dr. Arnold directly by emailing him at PitchingDoc@msn.com or visiting his web site at www.PitchingDoc.com.

References:

  1. WHO. “Health topics: Ageing” on the World Health Organization website
  2. Nelson ME, Rejeski WJ, Blair SN, et al. Physical activity and public health in older adults: recommendations from the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Heart Association. Circulation 2007;116:1094–105
  3. Morris JN, Kagan A, Pattisson DC, et al. Incidence and prediction of ischemic heart disease in London busmen. Lancet 1966;2:553–9
  4. Paffenbarger RS Jr, Hyde RT, Wing AL, et al. Physical activity, all-cause mortality, and longevity of College Alumni. N Engl J Med 1986;314:605–13
  5. Blair SN, Kohl HW III, Paffenbarger RS Jr, et al. Physical fitness and all-cause mortality. A prospective study of healthy men and women. JAMA 1989;262:2395–401
  6. Moore SC, Patel AV, Matthews CE, et al. Leisure time physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity and mortality: a large pooled cohort analysis. PLoS Med 2012;9:e1001335
  7. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Report, 2008. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2008
  8. Hupin D. Even a low-dose of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity reduces mortality by 22% in adults aged ≥60 years: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Sports Med 2015 Aug 3. pii: bjsports-2014-094306. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-094306. [Epub ahead of print]
  9. Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Whitt MC, et al. Compendium of physical activities: an update of activity codes and MET intensities. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2000;32(9 Suppl):S498–504
  10. Compendium of Physical Activities. Arizona State University Healthy Lifestyles Research Center School of Nutrition and Health Promotion.