Key messages from scientific research that's ready to be acted on
Got It, Hide thisWaller B, Ogonowska-Slodownik A, Vitor M et al. The effect of aquatic exercise on physical functioning in the older adult: A systematic review with meta-analysis Age and Ageing. 2016;45:594-602.
Does aquatic (water-based) exercise improve physical function in healthy older adults compared to land-based exercise or no exercise?
Physical function typically declines with age, but physical activity can slow this decline and sometimes even reverse the negative effect of aging on physical function. A variety of types of physical activity may have this benefit, but aquatic exercise is a particularly popular method for healthy older adults.
This is a review of 28 studies including 1,456 participants. Of these, 24 studies were combined in a meta-analysis. Eight studies were considered high quality.
Compared to doing no exercise, moderate to high intensity aquatic exercise helped improve physical function including maximum strength, muscular endurance, agility, flexibility, aerobic power and self-reported physical function. Aquatic exercise may have an advantage over land-based exercise, but more high quality research is needed to answer this question. Younger participants (<68 years old) may benefit more from aquatic exercise than older participants. There was no difference in physical function in those who did aquatic exercise two times compared to three times a week.
Aquatic exercise appears to be an effective way to improve physical function in older adults who were not previously participating in regular exercise. More research is needed to understand how aquatic exercise compares to land-based exercise and to identify the best type of aquatic exercise, and the amount and intensity of aquatic exercise needed for optimal results.
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