BOSTON: It’s never too late to start exercising, a new study shows, but for middle-aged men the sooner they begin, the greater the measurable benefit.
A study based on questionnaires filled out by 10,269 male graduates of Harvard University has found that men who take up moderately vigorous sports from 45 to 34 years of age live on average 10 months longer than those who remain sedentary. For those 55 to 64, exercise adds nine months to their lives, on average; for ages 75 to 84, two months.
The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, does not prove that that exercise makes people live longer because other factors that affect health, like low fat diets, are not considered, and while the result, the latest from a long running study of Harvard graduates shows many apparent benefits, they also suggest exercise is no fountain of youth.
“Some may be discouraged over the fact that you don’t gain a lot of years,” said Dr. Ralph s. Paffenbargerof Stanford University, who directed the study, “I hope people won’t be.” Warding off Heart Attacks the study also found that middle aged men who give up cigarettes add a year and a half to their lives, while those who quit smoking and start exercising gain almost three years.
The principal benefit of exercise in extending lives seemed to be by warding off heart attacks, although those who exercised were less likely to die of any cause.
The researchers considered moderately vigorous exercising 10 include brisk walking, biking, jogging and tennis and similar court games. Less demanding pastimes, like horseshoes, bowling and golfing with a cart, were not deemed strenuous enough to make a Measurable difference.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 5, 1993
