“Nearly” isn’t exactly a word we associate with achievement. In point of fact, very few things in life, it seems, count much at all if you don’t “hit the nail right on the head.”  Luckily for some, this may not be absolutely true when it comes to an extended lifespan. As a chiropractor in Ventura, who has many older patients and is fully dedicated to encouraging exercise at every age, I was very interested in the following study.

Researchers found that of the “least-fit” versus the “slightly more fit” in a recent study of nearly 4,400 healthy Americans, roughly 20 percent with the lowest physical fitness levels doubled the risk of dying over the nine years of the study as the 20 percent with the next-lowest fitness levels. (In other words, those 20 percent who were “closest to” the lowest fitness levels.) This is the time-honored “bad news/good news” outcome. It is undoubtedly bad news if you are a confirmed spectator in life. However, it is undoubtedly good news for those who haven’t totally embraced a sedentary lifestyle but are not, by any stretch of the imagination, very active. Apparently, those men and women who stay just moderately fit as they age may have greater longevity than those who are entirely out-of-shape, the study suggests.

The study included 4,384 middle-aged and senior adults whose fitness levels were determined during exercise treadmill tests sometime between 1986 and 2006. For nearly nine years thereafter, the researchers followed the study groups progress. Such factors as obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure were considered in the study. This, in and of itself, underscores the significants of physical fitness itself. In an email to Reuters Health, lead researcher, Dr. Sandra Mandic of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, noted: “Our findings suggest that a sedentary lifestyle, rather than differences in cardiovascular risk factors or age, may explain the two-fold higher mortality rates in the least-fit versus slightly more fit individuals.”

Nearly two-thirds of the participants at the least-fit level were not getting the minimum recommended amount of exercise, which is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (like brisk walking) five or more days a week. “These results emphasize the importance of improving and maintaining high fitness levels by engaging in regular physical activity,” Mandic said, “particularly in poorly-fit individuals.”

After dividing the participants into five groups based on fitness levels, the researchers found that 13 percent of those who were in slightly better shape had died during the study period. But, 25 percent of the least-fit men and women had died during the same period. Only 6 percent of the most-fit group (i.e., the ones who “hit the nail right on the head” had died during the follow-up period.

The five fitness-level groups presented little difference, overall, in their reported exercise routines during most of their adult lives, but notably, they differed in activity levels only in recent years. “Since it is recent physical activity that offers protection,” Mandic said, “it is important to maintain regular physical activity throughout life.”

In this particular study, regardless of weight and other health problems such as those mentioned above, fitness is undeniably linked to longevity. As such, exercise is crucial to the extension of our lifespan. And, naturally, just think of the health benefits we could all derive if we sought to achieve the higher levels of fitness.

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However, before you opt to add another cuppa to your morning routine, let me warn you that under “Related Stories” on the website were a couple of articles about studies that demonstrated the not-so-healthy effects of caffeine, “Morning Jolt of Caffeine May Mask Serious Sleep Problems,” and “Coffee Consumption Linked To Increased Risk Of Heart Attack For Persons With Certain Gene Variation.”

In my experience, I’ve noticed that there are probably studies that will confirm, or at least support, nearly any view point, in particular when it is about health and longevity. The “yin-yang” of caffeine benefits-deficits naturally aren’t, of course, the only ones. But, it did get me to pondering about the reasonableness that there will not ever be simply “one thing” that will absolutely help we, humans, to live longer, healthier lives. Humans are dynamic, biological creatures. We aren’t bred in a cage! We are free to make choices in life. And, let’s face it, though Alzheimer’s disease is likely on the rise, obviously none of us has been “bred to develop symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease,” therefore caffeine isn’t going to be the “one thing” that is going to reverse or prevent it.

Our body is an exquisite, intricate system that is designed to function homeostasis, that is to say, balance. It makes sense, then, that good health is about a healthy, balanced approach to living, instead of our being blindly convinced by the latest health study and “doing” or “overdoing” one specific thing under the illusion that it will reverse all of the other excessive and harmful things we do to our bodies.

I believe, as a doctor of chiropractic, that every single day we have an opportunity to choose healthfully for our body, to decide what will help us to live longer, healthier lives. When it comes to what is good for us, we know what truly “feels” right and what doesn’t. So, the if you reach for that extra cup of coffee or that second glass of red wine, I hope that you’ll think about this. There is no “one thing” that will do “everything” for your good health.

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