Exercise is Medicine

Exercise is Medicine

Physical inactivity ranks down at #10 for risk factors for death in America, and #11 for risk factors for disability. And globally, in terms of years of healthy life lost, inactivity doesn’t even break into the top 20. Diet is our greatest killer, followed by smoking.  Smoking is expected to cause a billion deaths this century, and tobacco is responsible for approximately 10 times greater mortality risk, comparing the heaviest smokers versus the heaviest sitters.

What role does physical activity play in longevity? In terms of combating the hallmarks of aging, aerobic exercise can lower inflammation, decrease DNA damage, and facilitate DNA repair. A meta-analysis of studies of middle-aged and older individuals, with follow-ups as long as 20 years, found that exercising adults were more likely to age successfully than sedentary individuals.

Randomized controlled trials of older adults have demonstrated that physical activity can improve muscle mass, strength, balance, and mobility, decrease the risk of falls and potential fractures, while helping to minimize bone loss. Exercise may also improve cognition, enhance mood, successfully treat depression, improve erectile function in men, and generally improve quality of life. The evidence supporting the overall health benefits of physical activity are overwhelming. Exercise is medicine.

Artery stiffness is recognized as a barometer of aging. Normally, large arteries in the body expand and recoil with every heartbeat (the pulse you feel in your wrist.) This helps cushion the pressure waves to prevent damage to tiny sensitive blood vessels in organs like your brain and kidneys. Thankfully, not all age-related stiffening is inevitable. Endurance-training men and women have artery elasticity closer to that of younger sedentary individuals, a status that can be achieved after daily brisk walks or jogging for just three months. This may help explain why those who exercise appear to live so much longer. A single exercise session can improve insulin sensitivity for up to 17 hours. Exercise is such powerful medicine that researchers at Stanford and the London School found that exercise may work as well as drugs for patients with coronary heart disease, heart failure, and pre-diabetes, and even better than some medications for stroke.

For the source of this information, watch the 4.5 minute video https://nutritionfacts.org/video/exercise-is-medicine/