Health benefits of physical activity in older patients: a review

As the number of elderly persons in our country increases, more attention is being given to geriatric health care needs and successful aging is becoming an increasingly important topic in medical literature. The concept of successful aging is in first line on a preventive approach of care for older people. Promotion of regular physical activity is one of the main non-pharmaceutical measures proposed to older subjects since low rate of physical activity is frequently noticed in this age group. Moderate but regular physical activity is associated with a reduction of total mortality among older people, a positive effect on the primary prevention of coronary heart disease and a significant optimization of the lipid profile. Improvement of body composition with a reduction of fat mass, reduction of blood pressure and prevention of stroke as well as type 2 diabetes are also well established. Prevention of some cancers (especially breast and colon), increase in bone density and prevention of falls are also reported. Moreover, some longitudinal studies suggest that physical activity is linked to a reduced risk of developing dementia and Alzheimer disease in particular.