Keeping fit in middle age has long-lasting benefits

Need yet another reason to get out there, ride that bike, and lose a few pounds?

According to a study published in the November 10th, 2003, Archives of Internal Medicine (summarized by ReutersHealth):

People who are overweight in middle age are more likely than their normal-weight peers to have a poor quality of life as they grow old, new study findings suggest. . . .

The study group consisted of adults who were middle-aged in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Since the number of Americans who are overweight or obese has skyrocketed since then, the findings do not bode well for the future, the study's lead author, Dr. Martha L. Daviglus, told Reuters Health.

They also indicate that young and middle-aged people who are overweight need to act now to preserve a good quality of life as they age, according to Daviglus. And that means calorie cutting and regular exercise, she said.