Older adults may gain more health benefits from playing golf than participating in regular or Nordic walking, a new study suggests. While the health advantages of aerobic exercise in helping to prevent cardiovascular diseases are well documented, most relevant studies have tended to focus on younger people participating in acute bouts of exercise lasting 30 to 60 minutes at moderate to high intensity, according to the researchers.

Golf, walking and Nordic walking--an enhanced walking technique in which people use poles to work their upper body as well as their legs--are popular age-appropriate forms of outdoor aerobic exercise that are safe and easily accessible for many older people. Therefore, researchers from Finland compared the acute effects of these three types of aerobic exercises on markers of cardiometabolic health. They studied 25 healthy golfers ages 65 and above, comparing the effects of an 18-hole round of golf, 6 km (3.7 miles) of Nordic walking, and a 6 km walk on participants’ blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid profile in a real-life environment.

The results showed that all three types of aerobic exercise improved the cardiovascular profile when performed in acute bouts, despite differences in duration and intensity. They all lowered systolic blood pressure during walking, and Nordic walking also led to a decrease in diastolic blood pressure.

However, the authors concluded: "Despite the lower exercise intensity of golf, the longer duration and higher energy expenditure appeared to have a more positive effect on lipid profile and glucose metabolism compared with Nordic walking and walking. These age-appropriate aerobic exercises can be recommended to healthy older adults as a form of health-enhancing physical activity to prevent cardiovascular diseases, and can also be used as a treatment strategy to improve cardiometabolic health among those who already have a cardiovascular disease."

To read the full article, published in BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, click here