Octogenarians who walk for at least an hour each day are significantly less likely to die or develop serious diseases than their less active peers, suggest results of a study by Italian and American researchers.
Graziano Onder and colleagues analyzed data from the Aging and Longevity Study in the Sirente Geographic Area (ilSIRENTE study), a study that collected data on people aged 80 and over living in a mountainous area of Italy.
12% of participants died during the course of the 24-month-long study. After adjusting for age, gender and other possible risk factors of death it was found that the risk of mortality among relatively inactive participants was a third higher than in those who walked for at least an hour each day. Furthermore, inactive participants were more likely to be depressed, have cognitive impairment, serious heart problems, osteoarthritis, and hypertension, than participants who enjoyed a daily walk.
The researchers conclude: “Our results obtained from a representative sample of very old and frail elderly subjects expand the knowledge that high levels of walking activity are associated with better survival.”
Landi F, Russo A, Cesari M, Pahor M, Liperoti R, Danese P, Bernabei R, Onder G. Walking one hour or more per day prevented mortality among older persons: Results from ilSIRENTE study. Preventive Medicine. Article in Press. 2008. doi:10.1016/j.ypmed.2008.06.020.
