'Higher levels of physical activity not only prolong total life expectancy but also life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease at age 50 years,' says a new study.

There is already strong evidence linking physical activity to lower risk of cardiovascular disease. But prior to this study, it was unclear whether physical activity actually could lead to longer lives or result in more time without cardiovascular disease.

Oscar H. Franco, MD, PhD, of Erasmus MC University Medical Center in the Netherlands and colleagues used data from the Framingham Heart Study -- whicht has followed 5,209 residents of Framingham, Mass., over the past 46 years -- to discover the effects of different levels of physical activity on life expectancy, as well as years lived with and without cardiovascular disease, among people age 50 and older.

The researchers calculated the effects of low, moderate or high levels of physical activity, adjusting for age, sex smoking and such coexistent diseases as cancer, arthritis, diabetes, left ventricular hypertrophy (enlargement of the left pumping chamber of the heart), ankle edema and pulmonary disease.

Total life expectancy increased proportionally with higher levels of physical activity, the authors report.

Longer, Disease-Free Life

"Moderate and high physical activity levels led to 1.3 and 3.7 years more in total life expectancy, and 1.1 and 3.2 more years lived without cardiovascular disease, respectively, for men aged 50 years or older compared with those who maintained a low physical activity level," they write.

"For women the differences were 1.5 and 3.5 years in total life expectancy, and 1.3 and 3.3 more years lived free of cardiovascular disease, respectively," the authors add.

"This study shows that higher levels of physical activity not only prolong total life expectancy but also life expectancy free of cardiovascular disease at age 50 years," they continue. "This effect is already seen at moderate levels of physical activity, and the gains in cardiovascular disease-free life expectancy at higher levels are more than twice as large."

Cardiovascular Risk Management

The study results bolster current recommendations for physical activity, which are based on the assumption that even moderate exercise can produce the benefits of a healthier and longer life.

"The role that physical activity plays in cardiovascular risk management should be emphasized to achieve a worldwide implementation of an active pattern of life," they conclude. "Our study suggests that following an active lifestyle is an effective way to achieve healthy aging."