A study by researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden showed that being physically fit in your thirties and fifties can help maintain the elasticity of blood vessels in old age.
The researchers based their work on data from a long-term study called SPAF-1958, which followed 425 people for decades. The participants underwent examinations at ages 34, 52, and 63, and their physical endurance was measured using a cycling test, and their arterial stiffness was estimated.
The results showed that people who were in good physical condition and had better endurance during sports in their youth and middle age had more flexible blood vessels at age 60, and this relationship persisted regardless of health factors such as weight, high blood pressure, smoking, and cholesterol levels.
It has also been shown that measuring blood cholesterol levels, including good cholesterol (HDL) levels, does not help predict vascular health as accurately as predicting it according to fitness standards, so regular and long-term physical activity has a long-term protective effect on cardiovascular health.
The researchers indicated that they plan to continue monitoring participants to determine how changes in physical activity levels affect vascular health after age 68.
