May Lower Risk Of Heart Disease

Older aged adults, particularly in their low to mid 60’s are usually at a point of retirement and a big change in habits and lifestyle. While at a general glance it may be obvious that those in this group of individuals tend to have less complications that lead to heart disease, there is actually much more to the picture. Some people think that you can ‘bank’ your years of good exercise habits and that will just make up for the lack there of in later years (lower to mid 60’s). This is simply not true.

A recent study was done involving older adults from ages 60 to 65 and the amounts of bio-markers in their blood, or markers in your blood that can predict the risk of hardening arteries. Hardened arteries called atherosclerosis can cause heart attacks and strokes and increase the risk associated with heart disease.

The results of the study showed that adults aged 60 to 65 that were more active on a consistent basis exhibited lower levels of these bio-markers present in their blood. The more sedentary individuals in this group correlated with increased numbers of these bio markers in their blood, which means they are more at risk for heart complications and heart disease in general.

It is very imperative to get up and get active at this age, and more importantly, stay consistently active at this age to reduce risk of heart disease. It is recommended that adults of this age get 150 minutes of moderate activity a week or at least 75 minutes of vigorous activity to maintain a healthy heart.

As you age, it becomes more important than ever to stay active and fit if you want to stay healthy