Q: I read your article this past week and in the AARP magazine I read an article on the “Fountain of Youth.” I think it is another great story to share with the Salisbury Post readers. Would you share that with them?
A: As I mentioned, I think it is a great follow up on this past week’s column on aging and weightlifting.
The story this person is referring to is that Stanford University came out with a study that regular running slows the effects of aging. I know what you are thinking: “Tell me more!”
The Stanford University School of medicine has conducted a study of more than 20 years tracking more than 500 runners over the age of 50 years of old.
The senior author of this study is Dr. James Fries, a professor of Medicine at Stanford Medical school. Even though this particular study is done on runners, Fries says “that if you have to pick one thing to make people healthier as they age, it would be aerobic exercise.”
Aerobic exercise is any cardio that improves respiratory and circulatory function by increasing oxygen consumption. Running, walking, swimming, bicycling are such activities.
Fries started this study in 1984 when the “jogging craze” just began.
Many scientist thought that the vigorous exercise would do older folks more harm than good.
Some even feared that the long term effect of jogging would increase the chance of orthopedic running injuries.
Fries saw this differently. He thought that regular exercise would lead to an extended high-quality life free of disabilities.
Before this study he didn’t necessarily feel that exercise would extend longevity, but he felt it would shorten the period at the end of life when people couldn’t carry out the daily tasks on their own.
Starting this study with 538 runners all older than 50, the participants ran an average of 4 hours per week. Yearly, they would answer questions about their ability to perform everyday activities such as walking, dressing themselves, grooming, getting out of chair and gripping objects.
Of course, as they aged, their running time declined to an average of 76 minutes per week, but they were still seeing health benefits.
So did they find the fountain of youth?
Of the groups of runners and non-runners in the study, on an average both groups were seeing disabilities after 21 years of aging, but it started much later.
Runners’ initial disability were 16 years later than non-runners. That is very impressive if you ask me.
Not only did running delay disability, but that gap between the runner group and non-runner group got bigger with time.
Even Fries and his team did not expect this. The health benefits of exercise are greater than researchers expected.
Fries was surprised the gap between the runners and non-runners continues to widen, even when the participants in the study entered the ninth decade of their lives.
Of course, eventually everyone has to face the inevitable, but so far the effect of running on delaying death has also been more dramatic than the scientists expected.
Not surprisingly, running has slowed cardio-vascular deaths but has also been associated with fewer early deaths from cancer, neurological disease, infections and other causes.
I know what you are thinking! I bet the knee replacements on runners are through the roof!
An article in the August issue of American Journal of Preventative Medicine showed that running was not associated with greater rates of osteoarthritis in elderly runners. Fries said that runners do not require more total knee replacements than non-runners.
Before you start “going crazy” and start running your little heart out, check with your doctor if it is the right thing to do, though.
As mentioned earlier, this study has been done on runners, but Fries also feels that the benefits seen in this running study are also from aerobic exercises.
Fries says that all the wonderful effects are probably due to the great cardiovascular health, a greater lean body mass and healthier habits in general.
So yes, if your doctor is OK with you starting a running program, you can contact David Freeze, who is a certified USATF coach with tons of running experience and knowledge.
His phone number is 704-310-6741. If you already are participating in wonderful aerobic activities such as walking, swimming, bicycling … stick with it.
We are all drinking from the fountain of youth.
Ester H Marsh, ACSM Cpt