August 2002

• Physical activity benefits all ages
• No link found between prostate cancer and vasectomy

Physical activity benefits all ages

The frail health often associated with aging is in large part due to physical inactivity, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It also advises that it’s never too late to benefit from becoming physically active.

The report cites that even moderate levels of activity — such as washing a car or raking leaves — can produce considerable benefits that can be even more noticeable in older adults. Regular exercise improves cholesterol levels, reduces blood pressure, cuts body fat, and lowers blood sugar. Physical activity also improves bone and muscle strength. All in all, people who exercise live longer — and they also live better.

Current guidelines recommend at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day. However, few older Americans reach this level. Lack of physical activity and poor diets are the major causes of obesity, an epidemic that is affecting people of all ages.

In the '70s and '80s, doctors were telling Americans to run; now, they are asking people to walk. Walking can be a moderately intense aerobic activity. But even at a more relaxed pace, walking has huge benefits. The distance actually seems more important than the pace — and it doesn't take heroic distances to get real benefit. In 1993, the Harvard Alumni study found that men who walked just 1.3 miles a day had a 22% lower death rate than those who walked less than 0.3 mile a day.

Strong muscles also improve your health. So set aside 15 minutes two or three times a week for resistance or strength training as well as 10–15 minutes at least three times a week for stretching exercises.

The HHS report provides strategies that individuals, doctors, and even communities can follow to promote physical activity. Individuals are encouraged to take part in activities that they enjoy and to make them a daily part of life. Doctors should help patients start and continue these regimens and overcome any difficulties they encounter. Communities can establish programs tailored to seniors’ physical activity needs and improve walking or bike trails.

The complete report is available at www.ahrq.gov/ppip/activity.htm

August 2002 Update

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No link found between prostate cancer and vasectomy

Good news for the millions of men worldwide who've had vasectomies: a new study disputes a link between this birth-control operation and prostate cancer. Two 1990 studies that connected prostate cancer and vasectomies caused men to question the procedure, even though no medical explanation for the connection could be found. Other research has both confirmed and denied the association in the past 10 years.

But the new study, published in the June 19, 2002, Journal of the American Medical Association, should ease men's minds. It involved over 2,000 men of European descent living in New Zealand, the country with the highest rate of vasectomies.

Researchers asked 953 men with prostate cancer and 1,260 who were cancer free about their medical histories — including whether they had had a vasectomy. It turned out that slightly fewer men with prostate cancer had undergone the surgery, which supports claims that going under the knife doesn't cause cancer. The same held true for the 38% of men studied who had had the procedure more than 25 years ago, which suggests that there are no long-term effects.

One reason why the link may have been found in earlier studies is that men who have vasectomies generally see their urologists more often, which may lead to more tumors being found in these men as compared to others, the researchers said. The study also found no link between prostate cancer and history of sexually transmitted disease, smoking, drinking alcohol, and number of children.

Prostate cancer will be diagnosed in 198,000 Americans this year, and it will take 31,500 lives. Although prostate cancer lags behind heart attacks, strokes, and lung cancer as the leading cause of death in American men, it's the disease many men fear most.

August 2002 Update

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