Study Confirms Good Shape Decreases Risk of Death

January 23, 2008

(Long Island, N.Y.) A new research study conducted on mostly Senior Citizens with both African American and White populace further concludes what is generally a known advantage with exercising and being fit; that people in great physical shape live longer than those who are not.

Over 15,660 elderly people participated nationwide which was said to be the biggest research study to find definite facts that would link fitness to mortality and the habits to stave off death. The sub-study for the research was to determine the effects of exercise especially for black people since their death rate is much higher than that of Whites. 43 Percent of participants in the study represented the African American community.

“A little bit of exercise goes a long way,” said Peter Kokkinos, lead author of the study. “Thirty minutes a day, five days a week of brisk walking is likely to reduce the risk of mortality by 50 percent if not more.”

The study was a particularly complicated one. Veterans with an average age of 60 where invited to the study eight years ago for a treadmill test in facilities nationwide. The results where categorized into four groupings starting with “low Fit” and the fittest where billed as “very highly fit”. On a follow up study after eight years, researchers determined the number of people in each category which are still alive and the number of dead. The results are as follows:

Least fit Group: 44% of that group has already died.
Moderately fit: 30% fatality
Highly Fit: 15% deaths
Very Highly Fit: 8% deaths in eight years.

Researchers released the conclusive results Tuesday in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. “Exercise is just as beneficial to African-Americans, in fact in some cases it might be more,” said Kokkinos, director of Exercise Testing and Research Lab in the cardiology department at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington. Dr. Randal Thomas who is the director of the Cardiovascular Health Clinic at the Mayo Clinic concluded the study by saying “This is more evidence that exercise is one of the best medicines that we have”

Posted by News LI Editor · Edited by Brianna - Filed Under Health