Physical Activity Correlates with Reduced Age-Related Mortality
The concept of "healthy aging" is well-intentioned but pernicious. By definition, aging is a loss of health, the rise of mortality risk due to failure of vital biological systems in the body. Aging less rapidly is better than aging more rapidly, and advocacy for greater physical activity to slow the progression aging is a good thing, but painting any state of aging as "healthy" is the road to acceptance of decline, the road to minimizing the need for rejuvenation therapies, the road to painting a slowing of aging as the only possibility worth talking about. Rejuvenation is clearly possible, as demonstrated by many animal studies of senolytics, reprogramming, fecal microbiota transplantation, and other approaches. Some of the well-established patient advocacy rhetoric relating to later life health needs to change as a result.
Canada's population is aging, with at least 1 in 5 people aged 65 years or older in 2025, and the number of people older than age 85 years is expected to triple in the next 20 years. However, for many people, these added years do not mean healthy years. More than 80% of adults do not meet the recommendations for physical activity. "Physical activity is one of the most important ways to preserve or improve functional independence, including among older adults who are frail or deemed to be at increased risk of falling. Higher levels of physical activity in older age are associated with improvements in cognition, mental health, and quality of life."
A meta-analysis of several large studies found that 150 minutes of moderate physical activity every week reduced risk of death from all causes by 31%. Physical activity is essential for aging well and can help prevent or reduce disease in more than 30 chronic conditions, such as coronary artery disease, heart failure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoporosis, depression, dementia, and cancer. Benefits of activity include the following: protection against risk of death from any cause; falls prevention through increased muscle strength and better balance; bone and joint health, including improved bone density and alleviation of some osteoarthritis symptoms; improved cognitive function, and better mood and mental health; ability to engage in daily activities and improved quality of life.