Exercise affects many diseases and disease risk factors, so it is thought that exercise also plays an important role in disease prevention and treatment, especially among elderly individuals. In the January 25, 2010 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, German researchers report that an 18-month exercise program contributes to improved bone mineral density and reduced risk of falls.

The researchers recruited women aged 65 years or older who were living independently in the community to participate in a trial comparing the effects of an 18-month exercise program on fracture risk, as measured by bone mineral density and falls, coronary heart disease risk factors, and health care costs. The study included 246 women who were randomly assigned to either the exercise program or a wellness program. The exercise program emphasized exercise intensity, while the wellness program was focused on a low-intensity, low-frequency program.

227 of the women completed the 18-month study. The researchers found that the women who participated in the 18-month exercise program experienced significant increases in bone mineral density and decreases in fall rate. They also found that the 10-year coronary heart disease risk was reduced in both the exercise and wellness groups, with no significant difference between the two groups. Although health care costs were lower among the women in the exercise group, the difference was not statistically significant.

Based on the findings of this study, it seems that exercise has benefits on bone mineral density, fall risk, and heart disease risk, all without increasing direct health care costs.

Source:

Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(2):179-185.