The higher the ejection fraction, the better the heart s ability to pump oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Ejection fraction improved as a result of the greater ability of the heart to squeeze down at the end of each heart beat. The latter increase was nearly twofold when compared over the extremes of the conditioning states. With age, the hearts of otherwise healthy sedentary people gradually lessen their ability to increase their heart rate and ejection fraction during acute exercise. Previous studies have shown that older people can benefit from aerobic exercise, but a novel aspect of this study found that the relative benefits were the same regardless of how fit they were when they started exercising, said Lakatta.
Age is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The numbers of cases of heart disease and stroke rise steeply after age 65, accounting for more than 40 percent of all deaths among people age 65 to 74, and almost 60 percent at age 85 and above. For example, at maximum capacity, older athletes heart function seems to be closer to that of younger men than to that of older men who do not exercise regularly. The National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health, leads the Federal effort supporting basic, clinical, epidemiological and behavioral research on aging and the special needs of older people.