Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- The declines in fitness that accompany growing old typically speed up after the age of 45, new research shows.
But people can slow the inevitable by staying lean, exercising and refraining from smoking.
The findings, appearing in the Oct. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, are not so surprising in light of the piles of other research that have drawn similar conclusions.
But the new study has broad implications, given the rising number of older adults in the United States and the explosion in the sedentary, overweight and aging population.
"The Social Security Administration actually has an aerobic capacity threshold. If you're below the threshold, you are considered disabled," said study author Andrew Jackson.
This means more people could qualify for government disability benefits at a younger age, further draining an already strained economy.
This study group included 3,429 women and 16,889 men aged 20 to 96 who had undergone two to 33 health exams with lifestyle counseling between 1974 and 2006.
Learn more at:
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/fitness-fades-fast-after-45.html
