Higher physical activity during middle age is associated with increased odds of survival without cognitive or physical impairments in older women
- Division of General Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
- Correspondence to Calvin Hirsch
Division of General Medicine, University of California, Davis Medical Center, 4150 V Street, PSSB Suite 2400, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA; chhirsch{at}ucdavis.edu
- Published Online First 8 June 2010
Sun and colleagues1 report on their analysis of data from the Nurses' Health Study, in which they evaluate the effects of a physically active lifestyle on a composite end point that is intended to model successful ageing. The authors define successful ageing as the absence of nine common age-associated medical conditions, cognitive impairment, disability and mental health limitations in women who reached their mid-70s. Prior studies have consistently shown a benefit of exercise in reducing the risk of the individual conditions that make up their successful-ageing construct. Strong evidence exists for an inverse relationship between level of physical activity and the development of hypertension, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, depression, cancer of the lung or breast and functional decline.2,–,10 Moreover, a physically active lifestyle during middle age has been associated …
