“Close” isn’t exactly a word we affiliate with accomplishment. In point of fact, not many things in life, it seems, count much at all if you don’t “hit a grand slam.”  Luckily for some, this may not be entirely the case when it comes to an extended lifespan. As a chiropractor in Orlando, who has many older patients and who is also fully dedicated to encouraging my patients to exercise at every age level, I was very happy to read about the results of the following study.

Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” in a recent study of nearly 4,400 healthy Americans, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels were twice as likely to die over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (In other words, those 20 percent who were close to the lowest fitness levels.) This is the time-honored “bad news/good news” situation. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a dyed-in-the-wool couch potato. But, it is definitely good news for those who haven’t entirely embraced a sedentary lifestyle but are not, by any means, “exertive.” Apparently, those people who continue to be just moderately fit as they grow older may live longer than those who are totally out-of-shape, the study suggests.

The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior men and women whose fitness levels were assessed during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For nearly nine years thereafter, the researchers pursued the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were taken into consideration in the study. This, in and of itself, accentuates the significants of being physically fit. In an email to Reuters Health, Dr. Sandra Mandic, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and lead researcher of the study noted: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”

Nearly two-thirds of the participants at the least-fit level failed to get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity, five or more days a week, which was the minimum recommended amount of exercise. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”

After dividing the study group participants by fitness levels, the researchers determined that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit men and women had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “hit a grand slam,” so to speak) had died during the follow-up period.

The compelling finding was that overall, the five fitness-level groups showed little variance in their reported exercise habits over their adult lives, but where they varied was their activity levels in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”

And, naturally, imagine the health advantages we could all derive if we sought to achieve the higher levels of fitness.

SOURCE: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, August 2009.

Technorati Tags: exercise, longevity, middle age, physical fitness

Recently I saw an article on sciencedaily.com regarding a study carried out on aged mice induced to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and the boost that caffeine gave to reversing memory loss. The article lead with the tease that “Coffee drinkers may have another reason to pour that extra cup.”  It continued by discussing back-to-back studies published online July 6 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease that demonstrated that caffeine considerably decreased abnormal levels of the protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, both in the brains and in the blood of mice that had developed symptoms of the disease.

But, before you decide to add an extra cup of coffee to your morning ritual, let me add that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles regarding studies that showed the negative effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are conceivably many studies that will confirm, or at least bolster, any angle of thought, particularly when it comes to age-related health issues. The “good/bad” studies related to caffeine naturally aren’t, of course, the only ones. Even so, it did get me to thinking about the reasonableness that there will never be any “one thing” that will irrefutably help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t bred in unnatural confinement We are actively engaged in life. And, moreover, though Alzheimer’s disease may be on the rise, obviously we, cage-free humans, have not been “singled out to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” so caffeine isn’t entirely the “one thing” that will reverse or prevent it.

Our body is an elegant, involved system that is designed to function homeostasis or balance. It is likely, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced attitude towards living, rather than our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing in the hope that it will reverse all of the other immoderate and unwholesome things we have done to our bodies.

As a doctor of chiropractic, it is my belief that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to choose healthfully for our body, to decide what will assist us to live longer, healthier lives. When it comes to what is good for our body, we know what actually “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, I just wanted to offer a little something for you to keep in mind the next time you reach for that extra cup of coffee or second glass of red wine. Neither one of those things is the “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

Technorati Tags: age-related health issues, caffeine, chiropractor, health, longevity, red wine