As some men age, they may become obese, hypertensive, hyperlipidemic, and be more prone to heart attacks.
There is convincing evidence that a steady regimen of physical activity can prevent, delay or minimize these afflictions.
Clinical trials in younger men clearly demonstrate that running decreases body weight, blood pressure,
plasma low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations while increasing
high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol. As running performance declines with age, however it is unclear
whether older men would gain the same health benefits from vigorous exercise as do younger men.
The question "Do older and younger runners benefit equally?" was addressed using physician-supplied
medical information on participants of the National Runners' Health Study. Each participant completed
a two-page questionnaire that was distributed nationally at races and to subscribers of Runner's World
magazine.
Medical information and surveys were obtained for 935 sexagenarian (sixty to sixty-nine years old) and
175 septuagenarian (seventy years old and older) runners.
HDL-cholesterol, often referred to as 'good cholesterol', appears to lower the risk of heart disease. The graph above indicates
how HDL-cholesterol is linked to reported weekly distances run by younger men (represented on the graph with the lighter bars) and older men
(represented by darker bars). The height of the bar shows the average HDL-cholesterol level of men in both age categories
