From: Andy Soos, ENN.com
There is a general desire to be
healthy and happy in life. Succeeding at these tasks is quite daunting.
Middle-aged adults help their hearts with regular leisure-time physical
activities according to one new study.
The
midlife well being of both men and women seems to depend on having a wide
circle of friends whom they see regularly according to another study. Both are
simple concepts and readily apparent but now supported by these studies.
Middle-aged
adults who regularly engage in leisure-time physical activity for more than a
decade may enhance their heart health, according to new research in the
American Heart Association’s journal Circulation.
"It’s
not just vigorous exercise and sports that are important," said Mark
Hamer, Ph.D., study lead author and associate professor of epidemiology and
public health at University College in London, U.K. "These leisure-time
activities represent moderate intensity exercise that is important to health.
It is especially important for older people to be physically active because it
contributes to successful aging."
At
the baseline assessment in 1991-1993, researchers analyzed two key inflammatory
markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) External link and interleukin-6 (IL-6).
Researchers again assessed physical activity and inflammatory markers in
1997-99 and about 11 years later.
Physically active participants at baseline had lower CRP and IL6 levels. The difference remained stable over time compared to participants that rarely adhered to physical activity guidelines during a 10-year follow-up.
A network of relatives is also important—but only for men—shows the study of more than 6500 Britons born in 1958. The authors base their findings on information collected from the participants, all of whom were part of the National Child Development Study (NCDS), when they were aged 42, 45 and 50.
Physically active participants at baseline had lower CRP and IL6 levels. The difference remained stable over time compared to participants that rarely adhered to physical activity guidelines during a 10-year follow-up.
A network of relatives is also important—but only for men—shows the study of more than 6500 Britons born in 1958. The authors base their findings on information collected from the participants, all of whom were part of the National Child Development Study (NCDS), when they were aged 42, 45 and 50.
At
the age of 42, participants completed a validated questionnaire (Malaise
Inventory) to gauge their psychological well being and provided details of
their partnership and job status, as well as the age at which they left full
time education.
One
in seven said they had no contacts with relatives outside their immediate
household and around one in 10 said they had no friends. Four out of 10 men and
around one in three women said they had more than six friends whom they saw
regularly.
Employment
had no bearing on the size of social networks, but education did. Men who left
full time education between the ages of 17 and 19 were 45% less likely to have
a larger kinship network, while those staying on until 20 or beyond were 60%
less likely to do so. The comparable figures for women were 17% and 60%,
respectively.
Staying
on in full time education after 16 also reduced the size of men's friendship
network, but it increased women's—by 38% if they left between 17 and 19, and by
74% if they left after the age of 20.
Having
a partner was associated with a larger kinship network. Being single reduced
that probability by 31% for men and by 26% for women. But it had no impact on
friendship networks.
When
participants' psychological wellbeing was assessed at the age of 50, the
results showed a significant association between the number of friends and
psychological well being, the impact of which was greater for women.
Psychological
well being was especially poor among those with no relatives or friends: among
men this was 2.3 points lower if they had no relatives and 2.6 points lower if
they had no friends compared with those with 10 or more regular social
contacts.
The
moral of this is to exercise moderately, get married and cultivate a circle of
friends in order to age healthy and happy.