HHS HealthBeat (May 7, 2010)

Exercise, aging and better health

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Physical activity during midlife seems to be a good predictor of how healthy a woman will be in her 70s and older.

At the Harvard School of Public Health, Qi Sun saw that in data on about 13,500 women in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study.

Women who generally were at least moderately active were less likely to have chronic conditions such as heart disease, and more likely to be in better physical – and mental – shape.

So he says:

"Women should engage in as many physical activities as possible to maximize the benefits, as long as their conditions and abilities allow them to do so." (9 seconds)

He says this would be at least regular moderate physical activity.

The study in Archives of Internal Medicine was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: November 21, 2011