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Most babies born now will likely live to be centenarians. These projections filling the news media are based on advances in medical treatments today.

The question that arises is that since the projections are based on medical treatments on the elderly population today, then what will the quality of life be for this next generation of centenarians?

For several years, the question of quality of life in senior years has been the focus of researchers at The Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (USDA HNRCA) at Tufts University, Medford, Mass.

The researchers are now embarking on a extended follow-up study to one completed a few years ago. The prior study examined the effects of initiating either an education or exercise program in seniors (ages 70 to 89) divided into to two groups to find out which group would experience the greatest increase in physical mobility.

Specifically, the 2005 Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders Pilot (LIFE-P) Trial did a comparison between two groups of seniors, total 424 individuals. The study ran from May 2004 to February 2005.

One set of individuals participated solely in the education program. Meeting weekly for the first 26 weeks, and then monthly, the sessions covered topics such as nutrition, medication, foot care, and recommended preventative services at different ages.

The other set of individuals engaged in an initial introductory education session and then subsequent physical activity sessions. The introductory session outlined the program that would be followed and provided counseling on safety.

Photo courtesy of atacac.

The physical activity program consisted of a combination of aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility exercises. Walking was the primary mode of exercise. The goal was to walk for at least 150 minutes over the course of a week.

At the end of the study, all participants were physically tested in the following categories:

Three standing balance exercises- maintaining their feet in side-by-side position; semi-tandem (the heel of one foot beside the big toe of the other foot); and tandem (the heel of one foot in front and touching the other foot) for ten seconds each.

Walking speed over two distances- covering a four-meter, and later 400-meter distance. The participants were asked to walk the short distance twice, and the researchers took the best time. For the longer walk, participants were asked to complete the distance within 15 minutes, being allowed to rest, but not sit. The inability to complete the 400-meter walk was considered to be a “major mobility disability.”

Ability to rise from a chair- participants were asked to stand up from a sitting postion with their arms folded across their chests. If they were able to complete this task, the participants were then asked to do it again five more times as quickly as possible, and the time was recorded.

In concluding the study, the researchers found that “compared with a successful aging health education intervention, a structured physical activity intervention significantly improved the Short Physical Performance Battery score, and 400-meter walk speed, and tended to reduce the risk of major mobility disability.” This basically means everyone in both groups was given all of the mentioned physicals tests, and overall, the people in the physical activity group scored better.

The researchers added, “the study also demonstrated that a simple and practical physical activity intervention can safely be administered to sedimentary older persons who are at high risk for disability.” This basically means that older people who have never gotten much exercise, can safely start a program to help improve their mobility.

On the heels of this study, the researchers are now posed for a more expanded look at the issue, with a 1,600 participant group through a six-year trial.

“The scope of the trial is significant because it provides the opportunity to study whether older adults can adhere to the physical activity regiment over a long period of time,” said Roger Fielding, Tufts’ principal investigator for LIFE and director of the Nutrition, Exercise, Physiology & Sarcopenia Laboratory at the USDA HNRCA.

“Additionally, the data will be used to investigate further the effects of physical activity on cognitive function and on health outcomes such as serious falls and acute care hospitalizations,” said Fielding.

The participants will be enrolled in the study for up to three-and-a-half years. Similar to the previous study, researchers will compare the results of a physical activity program, where participants will exercise at the field sites, and an educational program, where participants will attend seminars on healthy aging.

The principal investigator of the LIFE trial is Marco Pahor, MD, director of the University of Florida Institute on Aging. In addition to the University of Florida and Tufts, the other field sites in the LIFE trial are:

Northwestern University
Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a campus of the Louisiana State University system
Stanford University
The University of Pittsburgh
Wake Forest University Health Sciences
Yale University

On a personal note, in all, the findings of the first study weren’t surprising. The more a body is kept moving at a moderate active pace, the healthier it will be. I’m not a scientist, but I expect that this follow-up study will show more evidence that exercise in seniors improves mobility and quality of life. It makes perfect sense.

Cartoon courtesy of supplementalscience.com.

From personal family experience, motivating the average sedimentary senior to become active may be the biggest challenge, especially in this era of prescriptions for every aliment.

In the event that anyone is inspired by this article to begin an exercise program, please see your doctor first, especially seniors, so that you don’t hurt yourselves.

Reader comments and input are always welcomed.