Walking is associated with a reduced risk of death from pneumonia

This study was published in the Journal of Epidemiology 2007 Nov;17(6):194-202

 

Study title and authors:

Risk and protective factors related to mortality from pneumonia among middleaged and elderly community residents: the JACC Study.

Inoue Y, Koizumi A, Wada Y, Iso H, Watanabe Y, Date C, Yamamoto A, Kikuchi S, Inaba Y, Toyoshima H, Tamakoshi A.

Department of Health and Environmental Sciences, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18094518

The study investigated various factors related to the death rate from pneumonia. The study included 110,792 individuals (aged 40-79 years) who were followed for 15 years.

Regarding walking, the study found:
(a) Those who walked less than 1/2 hour per day had a 30% increased risk of death from pneumonia compared to those who walked 1/2 hour  per day.
(b) Those who walked more than one hour per day had a 30% decreased risk of death from pneumonia compared to those who walked 1/2 hour per day.

The results from the study show that an increase in walking time is associated with a reduced risk of death from pneumonia.

Walking is associated with lower total death rates and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease in adults with diabetes

This study was published in the Archives of Internal Medicine 2003 Jun 23;163(12):1440-7

Study title and authors:
Relationship of walking to mortality among US adults with diabetes.

Gregg EW, Gerzoff RB, Caspersen CJ, Williamson DF, Narayan KM.
Division of Diabetes Translation, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. edg7@cdc.gov

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12824093

The objective of the study was to estimate the association between walking and the risk of death from all-causes and death from cardiovascular disease among persons with diabetes. The study included 2,896 adults 18 years and older with diabetes who were followed for eight years.

The study found:
(a) Compared with inactive individuals, those who walked at least 2 hours per week had a 39% decreased risk of death from any cause.
(b) Compared with inactive individuals, those who walked at least 2 hours per week had a 34% decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Walking is associated with lower total death rates and lower death rates from cardiovascular disease in adults with diabetes.

Walking increases longevity in the elderly

This study was published in Maturitas 2012 Dec 29. pii: S0378-5122(12)00400-8

 

Study title and authors:

Walking four times weekly for at least 15min is associated with longevity in a Cohort of very elderly people.

Fortes C, Mastroeni S, Sperati A, Pacifici R, Zuccaro P, Francesco F, Agabiti N, Piras G, Amleto D, Ebrahim S.

Clinical Epidemiology Unit, IDI-IRCSS, Rome, Italy. Electronic address: c.fortes@idi.it.

 

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23280132

This study investigated the role of walking outdoors on longevity. The study lasted for ten years and included 152 self-caring and mobile elderly people, average age 80 years.

The study found that elderly people who walked in the open air for at least 15 minutes, four times a week had a 40% decreased risk of death compared to individuals who walked less than four times a week.   

Regular walking is associated with a lower overall mortality rate for elder men

This post includes a synopsis of a paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine 1998 Jan 8;338(2):94-9 and a recipe for baked herb perch fillets.

Study title and authors:
Effects of walking on mortality among nonsmoking retired men
Hakim AA, Petrovitch H, Burchfiel CM, Ross GW, Rodriguez BL, White LR, Yano K, Curb JD, Abbott RD.
Division of Biostatistics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville 22908, USA.

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199801083380204#t=abstract

Books:

For 12 years the study examined the association between walking and mortality rates in 707 nonsmoking retired men, aged 61 to 81 years.

The study found:
(a) The men who walked less than one mile per day had twice the death rate of the men who walked more than two miles per day.
(b) The men who walked less than one mile per day had over three times the incidence of heart disease than the men who walked more than two miles per day.
(c) The men who walked less than one mile per day had over two and a half times the incidence of cancer than the men who walked more than two miles per day.

To conclude: The findings of the study indicate that regular walking is associated with a lower overall mortality rate for elder men. Encouraging elderly people to walk may benefit their health.

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Recipe of the day

Baked Herb Perch Fillets

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Perch

• 1 lb yellow perch (walleye or pike) fillets

• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/2 t basil leaves
• 1/2 t oregano
• 1/4 t garlic

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Arrange the yellow perch fillets in baking pan. Spread oil, basil, oregano and garlic over the fillets. Bake 25-30 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Baked Herb Perch Fillets