October 25, 2024, 10:23 am | Read time: 4 minutes
Aging less quickly and living longer – that’s probably what most people want. Then one thing is clear: you should exercise regularly. Exercise is one of the key factors in achieving these life goals. While some people focus on cardio and others on strength training, one fitness component is often neglected: stretching. According to a new study, however, flexibility is important for longevity. FITBOOK Editorial Director Melanie Hoffmann explains what the researchers found out.
A minimum number of steps per week, several hours of training per week, or more muscle strength: there are many different sports recommendations1,2,3 After all, research has long been looking into the question of what training should ideally look like in order to increase life expectancy – with various findings. Now, another training method is becoming the focus of scientific attention: flexibility training. According to a new study, if you want to increase your longevity, you shouldn’t do without stretching.
Overview
Course of the study
Scientists from Brazil analyzed data on body measurements, health, and vital signs of 3139 men and women aged between 46 and 65. The average age was 55, and 66 percent of the subjects were male. Using a combination of 20 movements focusing on seven different joints, the researchers created a mobility score, the flex index, for the test subjects. This is a standardized test that – as the documentation of the study emphasizes – was developed and perfected by scientists over 30 years.4 The follow-up period was around 13 years. It was used to determine the mortality and survival rates using an established statistical method known as the Kaplan-Meier curve.5 The Cox proportional hazards survival regression method was used to investigate the influence of physical flexibility on the survival rate.6
Correlation between flexibility and mortality risk
During the follow-up period, 302 people (9.6 percent) died: 224 men and 78 women. The evaluation of the flex index showed that the women had performed 35 percent better than the men. In other words, they were significantly more mobile. For both genders, the study analysis showed that a higher mobility score was associated with a lower risk of death. It is important to mention that none of the deaths included in the analysis were related to the corona disease. The positive correlation between extensibility and longevity remained even after adjusting the data for other influencing factors such as age, BMI, and general health (possible pre-existing conditions). Men with poor stretchability had a 1.87 times higher mortality risk. Poorly stretched women had a 4.78 times higher mortality risk.
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Stretching for more longevity
The researchers pointed to the use of the standardized flex index and the size of the test group as strengths of their study. They emphasize the important findings of their analysis. “Aerobic fitness and strength, as well as good balance, have previously been associated with low mortality. We were able to show that lower physical flexibility is also associated with poor survival in middle-aged men and women,” explains study author Claudio Gil S. Araújo in a press release.7
This newly acquired knowledge is essential for older people in the life phase, where flexibility naturally declines due to biological aging processes. In addition to strength training, which can also slow down muscle atrophy caused by aging, regular body stretching also appears to be important.
In the next step, the researchers want to investigate whether it is possible to improve the survival rate of previously poorly performing people by increasing their flexibility, for example, with the help of training methods such as yoga or tai chi.