ABSTRACT

Chapter 1 highlighted that an improvement in life expectancy is leading to an increase in the total number of older people worldwide. This trend is expected to continue into the foreseeable future and brings challenges for society. As described in several earlier chapters, the prevalence of many diseases (e.g. cancer, heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis) and disease risk factors (e.g. hypercholesterolaemia, hypertension, obesity) increases with age. Thus, although people are living longer, many are burdened with disease or disability in the latter stages of their lives. Moreover, lifestyle and the ability to live independently may be impaired even in individuals free from disease due to a reduction in functional capacities (e.g. strength, endurance, flexibility) which limits their ability to perform everyday activities such as climbing a flight of stairs or crossing a street in the time allotted at pedestrian crossings. In this chapter we will examine how ageing leads to a decline in functional capacities in humans and the extent to which this can be offset by frequent exercise. We will also examine evidence that remaining active into old age enhances the capacity for independent living.