Seniors can walk their way toward better health

A team of researchers at Tufts University in Massachusetts have found that walking longer or faster can have cardiovascular health benefits for older adults, even for those over the age of 75.

The team, led by senior author Dariush Mozaffarian, looked at a large group of 3,941 men and women over a 10-year period, noting participants’ exercise habits, including walking distance and walking pace, as well as other leisure activities such as mowing the lawn, gardening, swimming, biking and hiking. The mean age of the group was 73 at the start.

Taking into account other health risk factors in the group and participants’ lifestyle behaviors, the team concluded that those seniors who walked faster than 4.8 kilometers per hour had a 50-percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 53-percent lower risk of stroke than those who walked at pace of less than 3.2 km/h.

Meanwhile, those who walked an average of seven blocks a day showed a 47-percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease, compared to those walking up to five blocks a week. Taking part in various leisure activities like gardening and swimming was also shown to be beneficial for lowering participants' risk of coronary heart disease.

Co-author Luisa Soares-Miranda said, “it ap- pears that whether one increases the total distance or the pace of walking, CVD risk is lowered. Fortunately, walking is an activity that many older adults can enjoy.”

Mozaffarian emphasized that “these results are especially relevant because, with advancing age, the ability to perform vigorous types of activity often decreases. Our findings support the importance of continuing light to moderate exercise to improve health across the lifespan.” —