1 . It’s truly never too late to begin exercising, according to the researchers led by Pedro Saint-Maurice of the U.S. National Cancer Institute. Even for people who were “couch potatoes” in their youth, starting regular exercise in middle-age can still greatly cut the probability of death from any cause.
The study tracked the lifetime exercise patterns of more than 315,000 people. The investigators found that folks who’d exercised all their lives had a 36 percent lower risk of dying during the study period, compared to people who’d never exercised. But, perhaps surprisingly, people who’d been inactive in youth but decided to get more physical in their 40s and 50s saw almost the same decline—35 percent—in their probability of an early death.
The study also found that a mid-life start to physical activity seemed to cut the probability of death from the two major killers—heart disease and cancer. For people who began exercising in their 40s and 50s, rates of death from heart disease fell by 43 percent compared to people who’d never exercised, and the cancer death rate fell by 16 percent. Those declines were similar to those seen in people who’d exercised all their adult lives.
“This study, once again, indicates the importance of physical activity in relationship to one’s long-term mortality,” said Dr. Evelina Grayver. “Whether or not you start exercising when you are younger or older, the benefits will always be there. But starting exercising at a later age and still getting the same mortality benefit doesn’t mean that one should not exercise in younger years. Overall effects of continuous physical activity decrease the risk of an early death.”
The researchers also noted that while other research linking exercise to longevity has looked at physical activity at just one point in the lifetime, theirs is the first to examine the role of “participation in physical activity throughout the different stages of adulthood.” This new research demonstrates the crucial relationship between physical activity and the prevention of death at any age.
1. What can we infer from the passage?| A．Exercising at any age helps one enjoy a happier life. |
| B．Lifelong exercising can guarantee a lower death rate. |
| C．Exercising in 40s and 50s may add years to one’s life. |
| D．Lack of physical activity leads to heart disease and cancer. |
| A．To analyse a link between exercises and death rate. |
| B．To compare the consequences of exercise in different ages. |
| C．To explain the significant effects of continuous physical activity. |
| D．To introduce a new study on the benefits of exercise in middle age. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Disapproving. | C．Supportive. | D．Neutral. |
