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Aerobic Exercise Helps Seniors Fight
Off Disability and Live Longer
Going for a run or participating in other forms
of aerobic exercise could help people to ward off disability and
live longer, according to results of a study conducted at Stanford
University School of Medicine. Dr Benjamin WE Wang's thirteen-year-long
study followed 370 members of a running club and 270 non-members.
All participants were at least 50 years old at the start of the
study. Results showed that those who belonged to the running club
were significantly less likely to develop a disability than non-members
were. Similarly, non-members who ran occasionally were also less
likely than non-runners to develop disabilities. Furthermore, runners
who did develop a disability did so, on average, nine years later
than non-runners. As well as preventing and delaying disability,
running also appears to reduce the risk of death. Non-members were
three times more likely to die during the study than members of
the running club.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Archives of Internal Medicine
2002; 162:2285-2294
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