Regular running slows down aging in the elderly
American scientists from Stanford University have completed a twenty-year study that has shown that regular running slows down the aging process in older people.
During the study, experts observed 500 elderly people, including those who ran and those who were not keen on this sport. At the beginning of the experiment, all participants were 50 years old and older.
Over the 19 years of the experiment, 34% of those who did not run died, while among those who ran, this figure was only 15%.
It turned out that thanks to regular running, the risk of death in older people decreased not only from cardiovascular diseases, but also from cancer, neurological diseases, various infections and other ailments. In addition, regular runners did not suffer from osteoarthritis and did not need to treat their knee joints.
The author of the experiment, Professor James Fries from the University of California at Stanford, said: "The goal of our experiment is to promote physical exercise. If you want to find a way to improve health as you age, then aerobics is it."
According to the scientist, physical exercise helps older people remain mobile and independent, maintains a healthy heart, maintains a normal weight and protects against stress, and also promotes good sleep.
Earlier, American specialists from the Mayo Clinic found genes that can accelerate and stop the aging process of cells.