Fitness In Middle Age Lowers Medical Costs Later: Study

Fitness in middle age lowers medical costs later: study

by

wangwei

Results suggest preventive efforts focusing on lifestyle choicesare well aimed. By Ellin Holohan HealthDay Reporter THURSDAY, May 10 (HealthDay News) — Subsidizing exercise andfitness-related lifestyles in middle age could significantly reducethe ballooning cost of health care in later years, a new study ofmore than 20,000 people suggests. The study, slated for Thursday presentation at an American HeartAssociation meeting in Atlanta, found that fit middle-aged men andwomen had significantly lower medical expenses later in lifecompared to people who failed to stay in shape. The more-fit study participants had 38 percent lower medical costsmany years later, measured by Medicare and other insurance claimsfrom 1999 through 2009. \”We wanted to determine if higher levels of physical fitness inmiddle age are associated with lower costs later in life,\” saidstudy author Dr.

Justin Bachmann. \”We found that fitness confersdividends later in life even when other risk factors such assmoking, high blood pressure and obesity are controlled for.\” The implications of the findings give \”credence to efforts likeMichelle Obama\’s \’Let\’s Move\’ campaign,\” he said. The First Ladyhas initiated a project aimed at reducing childhood obesity throughexercise and proper nutrition. Levels of fitness were determined by a treadmill test measuringmetabolic equivalents (METs), Bachmann said.

The higher the METs,the more fit a person is. People who exercise regularly performbetter on the test because they have greater aerobic capacity,which translates into better cardiorespiratory health and lowercosts later in life, he said. The study was a collaboration between the University ofTexas-Southwestern Medical Center and the Cooper Institute, both inDallas. Researchers screened participants for previous heart attacks,strokes and cancer.

folding privacy screen

Of the 20,489 given a \”healthy\” designation,16,186 were men and 4,303 were women, with an average age of 51.When Medicare costs and other insurance payments were compared, theaverage age was about 72, Bachmann said. The study participantswere drawn from the Cooper Center Longitudinal Study, a repositoryof health-related data from close to 100,000 patients collectedover the past four decades. Many of the study participants were business executives who went tothe center for physicals and represent \”an unusually healthycohort,\” reducing the effect of confounding factors, Bachmann said. The analysis controlled for health risks, such as smoking,diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and body-massindex (BMI).

crib teething rail

Body-mass index, used to measure the impact ofobesity, is based on a combination of height and weight in adults. Even in the presence of risk factors, better fitness in middle agepredicted lower medical costs later. The least-fit group at the study\’s onset had higher risk factorsacross the board. For example, 31 percent of the most out-of-shapemen smoked, compared with 9 percent of the most-fit men.

Chemical Machinery

About 5percent of the least fit men had diabetes, vs. less than 2 percentof men in the best condition. A similar pattern existed for womenin the study. Average annual claims for medical costs for the least-fit men, at$5,134, were about 36 percent higher than the average of $3,277 ayear for the most-fit men.

The average medical claims of $4,565 forthe least-fit women were about 40 percent higher than the $2,755average for the most fit. Another expert called the study \”quite compelling\” and connectedthe results of the treadmill tests to regular exercise, promotingit as a path toward fitness. \”Exercise is the best medicine we have,\” said Dr. SuzanneSteinbaum, a preventive cardiologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in NewYork City.

Noting that exercise has an impact on blood pressure,diabetes and even mood, she said \”the positive effect of exerciseon the body is powerful and it\’s empowering.\” Exercise affects \”so many chronic conditions leading to majorhealth care costs,\” said Steinbaum, who also is the hospital\’sdirector of women and heart disease. \”We should have financialsupport for people to go to gym facilities.\” People who are more fit should \”get some benefit\” from insurers,Steinbaum said. Society should \”give them the ability to becomefit,\” and then \”give people a reward when they demonstrate\”fitness, she added. Because the new study was presented at a medical meeting, the dataand conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published ina peer-reviewed journal. More information To learn more about physical fitness, visit U.S.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute . SOURCES: Justin Bachmann, M.D., cardiology fellow, University ofTexas-Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Suzanne Steinbaum, M.D.,preventive cardiologist and director of women and heart disease,Lenox Hill Hospital, New York City; May 10, 2012, presentation,American Heart Association meeting, Atlanta Copyright 2012 HealthDay . All rights reserved.

ggest preventive efforts focusing on lifestyle choicesare well aimed. By Ellin Holohan Hea

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com