Excerpt from: Exercise and Nutrition
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| October 13, 2005 | | It's never too late. Octogenarians were able to improve various disease risk factors, and reduce their glucose regulatable biological age with exercise. | |
In an earlier post on starting an exercise
program, I promised to cover the study by Evans et al.
in more detail. It is good to find more scientific support for exercise in
slowing the aging process and the benefits of endurance exercise training on
disease symptoms and regression. Well here's the scoop.
Looking at the effects of exercise on markers of disease risk and insulin
action, subjects were placed on a ten month supervised endurance exercise
program in which they worked out two-to-three times a week for about one hour
each time. The subject's age ranged from 77-87 years old and had numerous
elevated disease risk factors. Lower total- and LDL-cholesterol
levels along with improved aerobic power were two benefits among many
good results.
The biggest change, however, was an improvement in insulin
action, which increased over 29 percent. The researchers found
that these nonfrail octogenarians experienced regression of their poor
insulin action, associated with aging and their sedentary lifestyle to
levels comparable to middle-aged individuals.
According to the American College of Sports Medicine, over 75 percent of
persons with poor insulin action and non-insulin dependant diabetes are
obese and physically inactive.
This study confirms that the best way to avoid diabetes is to keep our
insulin working. And the best was to keep our insulin working
properly is to keep our bodies in shape with exercise. | | |
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