Social Butterflies Appear to Age Gracefully
Socialize and Live Longer
Social Seniors live longer and stay healthier. Get out of the house and mingle. Researchers at the Rush University Medical Center at Chicago report that seniors who are more socially active are more likely to retain mobility as they age. Sociable Seniors even walk faster than those who don’t get out much.
On the other hand, scoring just one point below average on a scale of social activity lowers your motor function as if you were five years older. So a less-socially active 67-year-old would function like a 72-year-old, sharply increasing the risk of death and disability.
"It’s not just running around the track that is good for you," commented lead researcher Aron S. Buchman, MD, associate professor of neurological sciences. "Our findings suggest that engaging in social activities may also be protective against loss of motor abilities."
Dr. Buchman and colleagues studied 906 healthy adults, average age 79.5 at the start. Participants were awarded points on a social—activity score based on the frequency of such activities as attending church or sporting events, eating out at restaurants, visiting relatives, volunteering, playing bingo and traveling. The average score calculated at the study’s inception, was 2.6; scores ranged from a low of 1.0 to a high of 4.17. Imagine what the score of our Senior Tennis League would look like!
Researchers then measured global motor function, based on nine measures of muscle strength and nine motor—performances measurements, annually for up to 11 years; average follow–up time was 4.9 years.
Each point below the 2.6 average score was associated with a subsequent 33% more rapid decline in overall motor function–the same as if the person were five years older when the study began. That greater rate of motor decline was associated with a 44% increased risk of death and 65% higher risk of disability, compared to those with average social–activity scores.
Even something as simple as walking speed was related to social activity: The most socially active seniors ranked in the top 10% of gait speed, while the least socially active ranked in the slowest 10%.
Motor function was also associated, as expected, with other factors, such as joint pain, depression, disability and vascular disease. But even when these factors were considered in the analysis, the association between social activity and motor decline still held up. Writing in Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Buchman and colleagues noted that this reduces the possibility of reverse causality: That is, it’s unlikely that the subjects were less socially active because of physical disability.
"If the causal relationship is confirmed by others, the implications are enormous by interventions that can help the elderly," Dr. Buchman added."Our data raise the possibility that we can slow motor decline and possibly delay its adverse health outcomes by supporting social engagement–a relatively low–cost solution to a very large public health problem."
Social Seniors live longer and stay healthier. Get out of the house and mingle. Researchers at the Rush University Medical Center at Chicago report that seniors who are more socially active are more likely to retain mobility as they age. Sociable Seniors even walk faster than those who don’t get out much.
On the other hand, scoring just one point below average on a scale of social activity lowers your motor function as if you were five years older. So a less-socially active 67-year-old would function like a 72-year-old, sharply increasing the risk of death and disability.
"It’s not just running around the track that is good for you," commented lead researcher Aron S. Buchman, MD, associate professor of neurological sciences. "Our findings suggest that engaging in social activities may also be protective against loss of motor abilities."
Dr. Buchman and colleagues studied 906 healthy adults, average age 79.5 at the start. Participants were awarded points on a social—activity score based on the frequency of such activities as attending church or sporting events, eating out at restaurants, visiting relatives, volunteering, playing bingo and traveling. The average score calculated at the study’s inception, was 2.6; scores ranged from a low of 1.0 to a high of 4.17. Imagine what the score of our Senior Tennis League would look like!
Researchers then measured global motor function, based on nine measures of muscle strength and nine motor—performances measurements, annually for up to 11 years; average follow–up time was 4.9 years.
Each point below the 2.6 average score was associated with a subsequent 33% more rapid decline in overall motor function–the same as if the person were five years older when the study began. That greater rate of motor decline was associated with a 44% increased risk of death and 65% higher risk of disability, compared to those with average social–activity scores.
Even something as simple as walking speed was related to social activity: The most socially active seniors ranked in the top 10% of gait speed, while the least socially active ranked in the slowest 10%.
Motor function was also associated, as expected, with other factors, such as joint pain, depression, disability and vascular disease. But even when these factors were considered in the analysis, the association between social activity and motor decline still held up. Writing in Archives of Internal Medicine, Dr. Buchman and colleagues noted that this reduces the possibility of reverse causality: That is, it’s unlikely that the subjects were less socially active because of physical disability.
"If the causal relationship is confirmed by others, the implications are enormous by interventions that can help the elderly," Dr. Buchman added."Our data raise the possibility that we can slow motor decline and possibly delay its adverse health outcomes by supporting social engagement–a relatively low–cost solution to a very large public health problem."
That data also suggest that the next time you get invited out to a ball game, a potluck dinner, a musical performance, or asked to volunteer somewhere, the healthiest answer is "Yes."
My sources are numerous and well documented in research that is credible and highly respected in the community of medical, nutritional and clinical sources.
Your risk of dying of any cause are reported to be 50% less for those who play badminton and tennis. We would bike three times a week in the summer and cover 25 miles on the weekend from Niagara Falls, Ontario to Fort Erie, Ontario and back.
We would engage in social activities once every month and socialize at picnics, and day trips to Letchworth Park, Toronto plays, and even take in an afternoon at the races. We walked and talked and climbed to the top of the hill to the railroad tracks at Letchworth and then dined at the "Glen Iris Inn." Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Gorge, the Whirlpool Jet Boat, the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Clipper and dinner at "The Flying Tigers," were just a few of the activities we enjoyed. Wealthy members of our group would say, "Stan, if it were'n’t for you, I would never have known about these places." They were just too busy climbing to the top of the heap and our group expanded their horizons. It’s not over yet: We intend to take another trip this summer on the "Go Train" and we just love our summer picnics. It has been a good life and my "jewel" has truly been the "Light of My Life." No doctor could have predicted I would live to this age after four heart attacks and crippling rheumatoid arthritis.
My dear hearts and gentle people, appear to age more gracefully. Loving each other keeps balance to our lives and dulls the pain we suffer to a tolerable level. I ask God to teach me to reach out to Him in my need and lead others to Him by my example. Grant us health in mind, body and spirit so that we may serve Him with all our strength. May He touch these lives and all those He has created now and forever. Tufts University is one of many sources of my blogs. They publish a "Health & Nutrition Letter" at The Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. This blog used information from this source and others. It is "Your Guide To Living Healthier Longer" in the September 2009, Volume 27, Number 7 issue.
Your lifestyle is best served by the knowledge you obtain from such sources and your active participation in our Senior Tennis League and Badminton Club of Greater Buffalo. http://www.tuftshealthletter.com%3e/>
To learn more: Archives of Journal Medicine, June 22, 2009.
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