Even in the "oldest old," a
little physical activity goes a long way, extending life by at least a
few years for people in their mid- to late 80s, Israeli researchers
found.
The three-year survival rate was about three times higher for active
85-year-olds compared with those who were inactive. Getting less than
four hours of exercise weekly was considered inactive; more than that
was active.
The results "clearly support the continued encouragement of physical
activity, even among the oldest old. Indeed, it seems that it is never
too late to start," the researchers wrote in Monday's Archives of
Internal Medicine, which published the study.
They noted that exercise reaped benefits even for previously
sedentary 85-year-olds; their three-year survival rate was double that
of inactive 85-year-olds.
 Oldsters didn't have to be super-athletes to live longer; walking at
least four hours weekly counted, even if it was just in 15-minute
strolls a few times daily.
"As little as four hours a week was as beneficial as more vigorous or
prolonged activity," said study author Dr. Jeremy Jacobs, a geriatric
specialist at Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center in Jerusalem.
Active octogenarians also reported less depression and loneliness and
a greater ability to perform daily tasks.
Similar benefits have been shown in people in their 60s and 70s, but
there has been little research about exercise benefits in people in
their 80s.
The study involved 1,861 Jerusalem residents who were 70 years old in
1990. Participants filled out questionnaires about their health and
activity levels through 2008.
At age 85, 64 percent were physically active, a relatively high
percentage that reflects the Israeli lifestyle, Jacobs said. But he said
similar benefits from exercise likely would be seen among the very old
in other countries.
There were 512 deaths. Slightly fewer than 7 percent of the active
85-year-olds died by age 88, versus about 24 percent of those who were
inactive.
Jacobs said the researchers took into account factors that also
affect survival, including participants' overall health and whether they
smoked, and still found that activity levels were strongly related to
longevity.
Dr. James Webster, a professor of geriatric medicine at Northwestern
University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, said the study
can't completely rule out that participants who were able to exercise
were already healthier than the others, and thus likely to live longer.
Still, Webster said the link between octogenarian exercise and
longevity appears valid. He was not involved in the study.
Laura Thorp, a researcher at Chicago's Rush University Medical
Center, said very old patients who want to increase their activity
should do so under a doctor's supervision. Still, Thorp said, "Even
those who are not exercisers or athletes can start and still see
substantial benefits."
- AP
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