Everyone knows that exercise is good for you — it helps manage weight, improves muscle and bone strength, and even lifts your spirits. It can also add years to your life.
“People have been looking for the secret to a long and healthy life for millennia,” says Neil Resnick, MD, chief of the division of geriatrics and associate director of the University of Pittsburgh Institute on Aging. “It turns out the most powerful intervention is exercise.”
A 2013 study conducted at Harvard found that exercise can be at least as effective as prescription drugs when it comes to preventing common conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
According to Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas, exercise is sometimes a way of “giving your body a bigger boost without needing any drugs in your system.”
Researchers from the University College London found that “healthy agers,” or physically active older adults, had a lower risk for chronic diseases such as arthritis. Evidence suggests that exercise also helps delay cognitive impairment.
“We’re probably sort of genetically wired for physical activity,” says William Hall, MD, professor of medicine at the University of Rochester’s School of Medicine. “People who exercise tend to have better immune systems, and the body doesn’t suffer from inflammation as much.”
Fuente: www.everydayhealth.com
