Run for your life

Scientists have found that vigorous regular exercise is linked to longer life and less disability in old age.

Stanford University’s Dr James Fries, started the study in 1984, when some experts were of the opinion that strenuous exercise was likely to do older people more harm than good, fearing that the then still new craze for jogging, would result in floods of admissions of older people with orthopaedic injuries.

Fries and his team studied Californians aged 50 and over for 20 years, including how often they ran and exercised, body mass index and disability level.

The disability index assesses ability to do basic every day things like walking, dressing and grooming, getting out of a chair and gripping objects.

“Vigorous exercise (running) at middle and older ages is associated with reduced disability in later life and a notable survival advantage.

“Runners’ initial disability was 16 years later than non-runners”, Fries reported (in  a story published by National Seniors).

He said the running appeared to delay disability and the gap between the  runners and the controls got bigger with time.

Even as the participants entered their 90s, the gap continued to widen, an effect which the researchers put down to the runners’ greater lean body mass and healthier habits.

The belief that running in old age would cause an increase in injuries proved unfounded.