For the elderly, evermore reasons to run. (Fit for Life).

The recent conclusion of a 13-year study emphatically implies that running postpones general disability in the elderly and prolongs life. 370 members of a running club for those aged 50 and up were examined for 13 years along with 249 controls. In addition to annual health assessments, the causes of any deaths were noted. The running club members reached the disability level of their non-running cohorts some eight years later. The controls had a 3.3 times higher death rate than the runners, and higher rates of disease across every category.

For these running club members over age 50, has a lifetime of running caused the continuation of their good health, or are the study participants runners because they are not prone to disability due to some other factor? Further research is called for to better establish direct causality. Nevertheless, it appears that if you have discussed it with your doctor, had a physical and feel able to run, there are certainly reasons to do so.

In a related matter, while hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has not been completely ruled out as a means of countering bone density loss in postmenopausal women, the recent suspension of drug trials in the Women's Health Initiative has caused many doctors to encourage their patients to consider an alternative. It has long been known that bone density loss and osteoporosis risk can be minimized with three essential components: adequate calcium and vitamin D intake, and regular load-bearing exercise. An obvious choice for this form of exercise, then, is running.

One study that specifically targeted the early postmenopausal population (within the first eight years) found that, after 14 months, strength training, jumping, running and stretching had improved the lumbar spine bone density of 59 subjects by 1.3%, while the bone density of 41 controls had decreased by almost the exact same amount (-1.2%). Even if running isn't an option, note that the amount of exercise necessary to improve bone density appears to be far less than the amount needed to improve fitness. The habitual daily movements of 151 women were recently studied--tasks like climbing stairs and putting away groceries. The group was of mixed race and included both pre- and postmenopausal women; the mean age was 52. Among the non-white groups, bone density was consistently higher in the postmenopausal women who moved more and climbed more stairs than in the women who moved and climbed less. (The researchers suspect their study was underpowered to detect similar results in the white population.) Interestingl y, the bone densities were similar among the active and inactive premenopausal groups. This seems to suggest that as you age, a little bit of movement can go a long way, and that it becomes more and more important to maintain any level of physical activity, if running is no longer an option.

According to Harvard Women's Health Watch, long-term estrogen use (after 4-5 years) increases the risk of breast cancer and "cardiovascular events" when taken orally and when combined with progestin (for women who have a uterus). But they are careful to state that in lower doses, the hormone has bone benefits comparable to higher doses, and that it may still be a viable choice for certain women. However, in addition to the cardiovascular benefits, greater flexibility, quality of life and counterattack on problems such as diabetes, exercise--even in the form of low-level daily activity--clearly proves to be a valuable tool for the minimization of bone density loss in the elderly, and it is of particular relevance now that HRT has been called into question for postmenopausal women.

(Med. & Sci. in Sports & Exerc., 2002, Vol. 34, No. 12, pp. 1966-1970, pp. 2115-2123; Harvard Women's Health Watch, 2002, Vol. 10, No. 4, pp. 6-7; Arch. Internal Med., 2002, Vol. 162, No. 11, pp. 2285-2294)