Physical Activity And Fruit/Vegetable Consumption Lower Mortality Rates For Older Women

Univ. of Michigan researchers who studied 713 women aged 70 to 79 years found that those who were most physically active and ate the most fruits and vegetables were eight times more likely to survive the five-year follow-up period than women with the lowest rates. Information for the study was gathered from participant questionnaires about physical activity and from measurements of blood levels of carotenoids, beneficial pigments from fruits and vegetables that the body turns into antioxidants. Key findings: women in the most active group at baseline had a 71 percent lower five-year death rate than the women in the least active group; women in the highest carotenoid group had a 46 percent lower five-year death rate.