Can physical activity increase life expectancy in older adults?
A review article published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal summarizes a growing body of evidence supporting the important role of physical activity in preventing or reducing the effects of disease.
Canada’s population is aging, with at least one in five people expected to be 65 years of age or older by 2025, and the number of people over 85 expected to triple in the next 20 years. However, for many, these added years do not translate into healthy years. More than 80 per cent of adults do not meet the Canadian government’s physical activity recommendations.
Physical activity is one of the most important ways to maintain or improve functional independence, including among seniors who are frail or at risk of falling. High levels of physical activity in older age are associated with improved cognition, mental health and quality of life.
A 2023 meta-analysis of several large studies found that 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week reduced the risk of death from disease by 31%. Physical activity is essential as we age and can help prevent or reduce the risk of more than 30 chronic diseases, including coronary artery disease, heart failure, type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, depression, dementia, and cancer.
