(ANSA) – TRIESTE, 15 FEB – “Movement is a medicine in old age. Even a little physical activity can confer beneficial effects in the elderly”. The article published today by the English newspaper Sun begins with this sentence by Gianfranco Sinagra, director of the School of Specialization in Cardiovascular Diseases of the University of Trieste and Cardiology, and on the front page of the London Times study taken from the journal Heart, according to which at least 20 minutes of exercise a day after the age of 70 would be enough to help reduce the chances of heart disease. Sinagra wrote the preface to the study, according to which scientists checked 20 years of medical records of 2,754 Italians over 65, evaluating, in fact, whether the persistence of an active lifestyle was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease ( coronary heart disease, heart failure and stroke) and general mortality. Physical activity is commonly associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a longer life, but relatively few studies have examined whether exercise in old age can really help in this regard. “Progetto Veneto Anziani-Pro.VA”, this is the name of the study, coordinated by the researcher of the University of Padua, graduate of Trieste Claudio Barbiellini Amidei, showed a lower incidence of cardiovascular events in active men and women and both men and women. women had a significantly lower mortality risk (an indisputable endpoint). Interestingly, the reduction in the risk of cardiovascular events associated with an active lifestyle in men was most marked at 70 years and only moderately reduced at 75 years, while it eased thereafter. According to the study, the potential benefit is mostly evident when an active lifestyle is present in early old age. The effect is explained by the ability to slow down the atherosclerosis process through better control of blood pressure, blood glucose level and lipid profile. (HANDLE).
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