Playing Sports in School Helps People Stay Healthy When They're Older

Actively participating in sports while in middle school can help teenagers lessen their visits to the doctor when they reach 70 years, a recent study confirms.

Experts found men in their 70s who took part in school sports visit their doctor less than those who were more sedentary. They also found that men who exercised as teenagers are more likely to be active in old age. Researchers at Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology tracked 712 Second World War veterans who were healthy as young men. In their study called 'Fit in 50 Years', published in BMC Public Health, they found the men who played team sports as teenagers visited their doctors fewer times per year than those who did not.

The researchers say the results highlight the need to encourage the children of today's generation to exercise. They claim that young people who are inactive are more likely to be obese and are more likely to suffer from mental and physical problems than do their counterparts. They stressed that their findings show that inactivity in childhood could bring forth life-long consequences.

Researchers at the University of South Australia's School of Health Sciences found today's children have a cardiovascular fitness that is 15 percent lower than their parents at the same age. They also confirmed that children today would run a mile about 90 seconds slower than children 30 years ago could. An increase in body fat is being regarded as the main reason why children's cardiovascular fitness is declining worldwide. "If a young person is generally unfit now, then they are more likely to develop conditions like heart disease later in life," said lead study author Dr. Grant Tomkinson.