Exercise Rx for Longevity

Queensland University of Technology (Australia) researchers urge that women would benefit from being prescribed exercise as medicine. Debra Anderson and colleagues completed a systematic literature review to reveal that moderate to high intensity activity is essential to reducing the risk of death in older women. The team reports that: “All studies found that physical activity was associated with lower rates of cognitive and physical decline and a significant reduction in all-cause mortality. In this review we found that exercise interventions (or lifestyle activities) that improved cardiorespiratory exercise capacity showed the most positive impact on physical health.”  Writing that: “Findings suggest that programs should facilitate and support women to participate in regular exercise by embedding physical activity programs in public health initiatives, by developing home-based exercise programs that require few resources and by creating interventions that can incorporate physical activity within a healthy lifestyle,” the study authors submit that: “The review also suggests that clinicians should consider prescribing exercise in a tailored manner for older women to ensure that it is of a high enough intensity to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise.”