Forty- and fifty-somethings who are active have a significantly greater chance of staying healthy into their later years, according to researchers at University College London.
Fit over forty
My current age of 40 and the fact that I already have two (“bonus”) grandchildren certainly doesn’t explain my interest in this topic at all.
According to British research, men who exercise in middle age were up to five times more likely to remain fit and active into their late seventies than non-exercising mid-lifers. This conclusion was drawn from the study of nearly 3,500 men who participated in the British Regional Heart Study. For this study, men from 24 British cities were selected between 1978 and 1980 and followed for up to 20 years.
The findings provide an additional reason to encourage middle-aged men to stay active. The researchers found that as men age, they often engage in more recreational activities such as walking. However, men who have engaged in activities such as football, cricket, or golf for a long time are more likely to continue doing so after retirement, albeit less frequently. Simply doing a few sports sessions as a forty-something will not lead to this result. For this effect, the men had to have practiced the sport for at least 25 years at the start of the study. So, I still have to visit the gym for another 5 years to potentially be a 70-year-old gym rat.
Early engagement in sport and structured exercise may be vital for developing the necessary motor skills needed to establish a lifelong habit for physical activity. However, it may also be important to provide opportunities to take up other forms of activity, such as walking, during the transition to old age.
For the study, participants kept track of their medical history and lifestyle through surveys, indicating how often they were physically active and what type of activity it was. These activities ranged from gardening and DIY to recreational movement and sports. Men who exercised were asked how long they had been doing so. They were then followed up after 12, 16, and 20 years. Ultimately, they had enough data from 3,414 men who were still alive.
The men who were active in their midlife were nearly three times as active after 20 years as others, taking into account factors such as health.
Sports, in particular, kept the men active. Men who had engaged in sports for at least 25 years were five times more likely to be active in later life. The researchers suggest that the probable reason for this is the possibility that sports are simply enjoyable and therefore sustained longer than other activities.
During the study, approximately 2/3 of the men were classified as active. However, the type of activity changed for many. Walking, in particular, became more popular as age advanced (from 27% to 62%), possibly because men simply had more time for it.
The exception was the athletes who continued to practice their familiar sport. About half of the athletes stated during the check-ups that they still practiced the sport, even if only occasionally.
Learned in Middle Age, Active in Old Age
Now, I’m not sure if they classify fitness as a sport or recreational activity. In terms of effort, it could be considered a sport. However, it lacks the element of play which may be the reason it was sustained longer in the study.
References
- Aggio D, Papacosta O, Lennon L, et al association between physical activity levels in mid-life with physical activity in old age: a 20-year tracking study in a prospective cohort BMJ Open 2017;7:e017378. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017378
