Staying active in old age keeps people mobile

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People over 70 who aren't active are more likely to develop problems walking or climbing stairs within a few years, according to a new study.



These findings suggest that it's very important to stay active in old age, study author Dr. Marjolein Visser told Reuters Health.

"Physical activity in old age is as important as taking your medications," Visser noted. "You do not need to join an expensive, fancy sports club with high-tech equipment. Your body will already benefit from regular walking."

Visser, who is based at Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, explained that staying active helps prevent people from becoming breathless during simple activities, increase muscle mass and strength, and maintain the balance people need to walk up stairs, for instance.

To investigate how important exercise is to older adults, Visser's team interviewed 3,075 men and women between the ages of 70 and 79, all of whom said they had no problems walking one-quarter of a mile or climbing stairs. The investigators followed the subjects for 4-1/2 years, noting who developed problems walking and climbing stairs.

During the study, 34 percent of men and 47 percent of women said they began to struggle with walking and climbing stairs. People who were inactive were twice as likely to report these problems as people who said they got regular exercise.

People who didn't exercise but had active lifestyles appeared to be at a somewhat higher risk of developing problems walking and climbing stairs, relative to people who exercised regularly. Still, leading an active lifestyle appeared to protect people from problems better than being generally inactive, the researchers report in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

Among people who were generally inactive, those who walked even a little bit -- such as brisk walking for a little over an hour per week -- were at lower risk of mobility problems.

"If you do not like to exercise or you cannot exercise because of serious health problems or functional limitations, do try to be as active as possible," Visser advised.