By James Gallagher Health editor, BBC News website
15 May 2015
Regular exercise in old age has as powerful an effect on life expectancy as
giving up smoking, researchers say.
The analysis of 5,700 elderly men in Norway showed those doing three hours of
exercise a week lived around five years longer than the sedentary.
The authors, writing in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, called for
campaigns to encourage fitness in older people.
The study comes as a charity warns about low levels of exercise.
In the study - conducted by Oslo University Hospital - found both light and
vigorous exercise extended life expectancy.
Official advice in the UK recommends 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week
in the over-65s.
Boost exercise
The trial tracking 68 to 77 year olds found that doing less than an hour a week
of light exercise had no impact.
But overall those putting in the equivalent of six, 30-minute sessions of any
intensity, were 40% less likely to have died during the 11-year study.
The report said: "Even when men were 73 years of age on average at start of
follow-up, active persons had five years longer expected lifetime than the
sedentary."
It added that physical activity was as "beneficial as smoking cessation" at
reducing deaths.
"Public health strategies in elderly men should include efforts to increase
physical activity in line with efforts to reduce smoking behaviour."
The report did not look at how active people were earlier in their lives.
'Too lazy'
However, the study comes as the British Heart Foundation publishes a report
warning people are getting too little exercise.
Its analysis shows that the percentage of adults doing no moderate exercise is:
69% in Portugal
55% in Poland
46% in France
44% in the UK
34% in Croatia
26% in Germany
with Netherlands doing relatively well at 14%
Julie Ward, from the charity, said: "Regular physical activity, whatever your
age, is beneficial for your heart health and ultimately can help you live
longer.
"However, our latest statistics show that nearly half of people in the UK do no
moderate exercise whatsoever - a rate higher than many European countries.
"Our message is that every 10 minutes counts and that making simple, more
active changes to your daily routine can set you on a path to improved heart
health."