Limited physical activity ‘better than none for elderly people’

A new study has called for elderly people to engage in as much physical activity as they are able in order to avoid being entirely sedentary.

The European Society of Cardiology study assessed data from 24,502 adults aged 39 to 79 from Norfolk, which analysed their overall health and lifestyles, particularly with regard to their levels of physical activity during work and leisure time.

An inverse association between physical activity and the risk of cardiovascular disease was observed in both elderly and middle-aged people, with any level of physical activity in the elderly shown to be better than none at all for reducing cardiovascular risk.

Elderly people who were moderately inactive had a 14 percent reduced risk of cardiovascular events compared to those who were completely inactive, suggesting that even low-intensity physical activities such as walking, gardening and housework can be beneficial.

Dr Sangeeta Lachman, a cardiologist at the Academic Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said: "A broader array of public health programmes are needed to help elderly people engage in any physical activity of any level and avoid being completely sedentary."

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