"Elderly Exercising Over 150 Minutes Weekly Reduce Mortality Risk by 30%"

A study has found that engaging in 150 minutes of physical activity per week during old age reduces the risk of death from all causes by 31%.

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On the 27th, Professor Jane Thornton and her team at Western University in Montreal, Canada, announced in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) that they obtained these results from a large-scale meta-analysis on physical activity and health in old age. They also found that physical activity helps reduce the risk of more than 30 chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, diabetes, dementia, and cancer, emphasizing that the more physical activity elderly people engage in, the more they can potentially extend their lifespan and improve their quality of life.

The researchers pointed out that this year, one in five Canadians will be aged 65 or older, and the population aged 85 and above is expected to triple over the next 20 years. However, more than 80% of adults do not meet the recommended amount of physical activity according to guidelines. The physical activity guidelines, set by the World Health Organization (WHO), recommend that all adults, including those who are healthy or have stable chronic conditions, engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week for health benefits.

In this study, the researchers selected relevant papers from medical databases such as MEDLINE using keywords related to older adults, physical activity, various diseases, and side effects, analyzing the associations between physical activity and mortality risk as well as risks of various diseases. A meta-analysis tracking the association between exercise volume and mortality risk published in 2023 showed that engaging in 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week reduces the risk of death from all causes by 31% compared to those who do not.

Moreover, moderate or higher intensity physical activity was found to help reduce the risk of more than 30 chronic diseases, including ▲coronary artery disease ▲heart failure ▲type 2 diabetes ▲chronic obstructive pulmonary disease ▲osteoporosis ▲depression ▲dementia ▲cancer.

Two meta-analyses published in 2022 revealed that 60 minutes of strength training per week reduces the risk of death from all causes by 27%, and 30 to 60 minutes of strength training per week is associated with a 10 to 20% reduction in mortality risk. A 2016 meta-analysis showed that exercise programs and physical activity in older adults reduce falls by 21%, and a 2021 randomized controlled trial found that integrated exercise programs performed five or more times per week for over 32 weeks significantly lower the risk of falls.

The 2023 meta-analysis indicated that for elderly individuals with mild cognitive impairment, aerobic exercise is the most effective for improving cognitive function, followed by strength training and neuro-exercises such as Taegukkwon.

Considering the benefits of physical activity, the researchers explained that doctors need to actively prescribe 'physical activity' to elderly patients. Professor Thornton emphasized, "Physical activity is one of the most important ways for older adults to maintain or improve functional independence."

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