Can Being Flexible Help You Live Longer?
Many studies show the importance of physical activity for overall health, including living longer. With this in mind, researchers from the Exercise Medicine Clinic (CLINIMEX) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, wanted to know whether other aspects of health, such as flexibility, could have a similar effect on longevity.
Claudio Gil S. Araújo, MD of CLINIMEX led the study, and his team assessed approximately 3,000 people to learn how flexibility impacts longevity. The team examined data collected from participants over 28 years, with a mean follow-up of 12.9 years. The researchers found that people with higher flexibility ranges tended to live longer than those with lower flexibility ranges. The findings appear in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports.
The importance of flexibility in aging: Movement is essential to good health. It improves cardiovascular health, and lowers the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and it can also boost mental health. While research shows that cardiovascular and strengthening exercises can increase one’s lifespan, flexibility was largely left unaddressed. This led researchers in the current study to analyze whether flexibility plays a role in longevity.
Excerpted from Medical News Today
