Compared to a general wellness programme, an 18-month exercise programme for older women improves bone mineral density and fall risk but has similar improvements in predicted coronary heart disease risk
- Correspondence to Graeme Jones Menzies Research Institute, Private Bag 23, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, Australia; g.jones{at}utas.edu.au
- Published Online First 8 June 2010
Exercise and health
It is widely recognised that exercise is good for the prevention of a large number of illnesses. This conclusion has been drawn in large measure from observational studies that follow a group who choose to exercise and then compare them with a group who choose not to. This method can lead to a number of biases in terms of other health behaviours; for example, women who took hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were long thought to be protected against heart disease on the basis of observational studies, but a later randomised trial proved there was a higher heart attack risk with HRT, highlighting the value of the randomised trial design. Although there have been a number of trials, much uncertainty remains about what sort of exercise, …
