News
January 2007
Age no barrier to improving health
Recent research shows that people over 60 can reduce the likelihood of getting diabetes and heart disease by changing their lifestyle.
Stopping smoking, losing weight and increasing physical activity can all help to reduce the risk of developing metabolic syndrome, which has been linked to heart disease and diabetes.
Metabolic syndrome is more common in older people, which is why the research team studied 3,051 men aged 60 to 79. None of them had diabetes or heart disease, but a quarter of them had metabolic syndrome.
The team found that the more a man weighed the greater his risk of metabolic syndrome and that smoking and eating a high carbohydrate diet also increased the risk. Men who were active, however, had the least risk of metabolic syndrome.
The conclusion was that changing your lifestyle in later life can significantly reduce your chance of developing metabolic syndrome and its associated health problems.