Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” of the nearly 4,400 healthy U.S. adults in their recent study, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels doubled the risk of dying 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 nearly at the lowest fitness levels.) This is the proverbial “bad news/good news” type of result. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a confirmed sofa spud. However, it is genuinely good news for those who haven’t quite hit rock bottom in the sedentary lifestyle department but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, energetic. Apparently, those men and women who stay only moderately fit as they grow older may live longer than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.

The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior adults whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. The researchers then observed the study groups progress for close to nine years. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were taken into consideration in the study. This, in and of itself, highlights the significants of physical fitness itself. 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 least-fit study participants 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.”

Separating the participants into five groups based on fitness levels, the researchers discovered that 25 percent of the least-fit men and women had died during the study period, as opposed to 13 percent of those who were slightly more in shape. Among adults in the most-fit group (the ones who “hit the bull’s eyes,” so to speak) only 6 percent died during the follow-up period.

The five fitness-level groups presented little variance, overall, in their reported exercise routines during most of their adult lives, but notably, they differed in activity levels only in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”

In this particular study, despite weight and other health issues such as those mentioned above, fitness is clearly linked to longevity. Therefore, exercise is vital to extending our lifespan. And, of course, imagine the health benefits we could all experience 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

But, before you decide to add an extra cuppa to your morning ritual, let me warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles about studies that demonstrated the not-so-healthy 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 probably studies that will affirm, or at least give credence to, almost any point of view, particularly when it comes to health and longevity. The “yin-yang” of caffeine benefits-deficits certainly aren’t, of course, the only ones. Nonetheless, it did get me to pondering about the likelihood that there will never be any “one thing” that will incontrovertibly assist we, humans, in living longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological beings. We aren’t raised in unnatural confinement We are free to participate in life. And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease apparently is on the rise, obviously we, cage-free humans, have not been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t going to be the “one thing” that is going to reverse or prevent it.

Our body is an exquisite, complex system that is based on homeostasis, i.e, balance. It is likely, then, that good health has more to do with a healthy, balanced way of living, rather than our jumping on the bandwagon of the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other excessive and unhealthy things we do to our bodies.

As a doctor of chiropractic, it is my belief that every moment of the day we have an opportunity to make decisions that will assist us to live longer, healthier lives, healthy choices for our body and mind. We know what truly “feels” life enriching and what doesn’t when it comes to what is good for our body. So, the if you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll think about this. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your age-related health issues.

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