老年学と老年医学の研究

概要

Cross-Training Exercises: Crossroads to Successful Prevention of Chronic Diseases

Hirofumi Tanaka

The prevalence of many chronic diseases increases markedly with advancing age. With an ever increasing aging population accompanied by steadily rising costs of medical care, prevention and treatment for age-related chronic diseases has become an extremely important topic, especially for those older adults who may be retired or are living on a fixed income. The first-line approach for preventing and treating age-related chronic diseases is increases in physical activity [1,2]. Although regular exercise does not appear to extend longevity [3], there is substantial evidence demonstrating that regular physical activity decreases the risk of premature death [1,2,4]. Over the years, habitual exercise has become the biggest patron for the famous quote of Benjamin Franklin “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”.