Moore, A. Z., Simonsick, E. M., Landman, B., Schrack, J., Wanigatunga, A. A., & Ferrucci, L. (2024). Correlates of life course physical activity in participants of the Baltimore longitudinal study of aging. Aging Cell. https://doi.org/10.1111/ACEL.14078
A study involving participants from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging examined how physical activity levels at different stages of life affect health outcomes in later years. Researchers tracked participants’ exercise habits from adolescence through their current age and found that past physical activity levels were closely linked to their activity in the same decade as measured by questionnaires and devices like accelerometers. They developed a pattern of life course physical activity (LCPA) by ranking participants based on their reported exercise intensity over the years. This pattern showed that lifetime physical activity consistently correlates with various health markers such as cardiovascular fitness (peak VO2), blood sugar levels, muscle mass and density, body fat, walking speed, and overall physical performance, even after adjusting for current exercise habits. The findings highlight the lasting impact of maintaining regular physical activity throughout life, beyond just the benefits seen from recent exercise.