In a recent study from the University of Pittsburgh, researchers found that fatigue feelings can predict the likelihood of death less than three years away.
They found older people who scored the highest in terms of how tired or exhausted they would feel after activities were more than twice as likely to die in the following 2.7 years compared to their counterparts who scored lower.
This study is the first to link more severe physical fatigability to an earlier death.
The team hopes the findings provide encouragement for people to stick with exercise goals in the New Year’s resolutions.
In the study, researchers conducted the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale on 2,906 participants aged 60 or older in the Long Life Family Study.
Fatigability was assessed for a range of activities using the novel Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale. Previous studies have shown that getting more physical activity can reduce a person’s fatigue.
Participants ranged from 0 to 5 on how tired they thought or imagined that certain activities—such as a leisurely 30-minute walk, light housework, or heavy gardening—would make them.
The team found that participants who scored 25 points or higher on the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale were 2.3 times more likely to die in the 2.7 years after completing the scale, compared to their counterparts who scored below 25.
Beyond tying high fatigability to an earlier death, the study shows the value of the Pittsburgh Fatigability Scale, which was created in 2014. It has since been translated into 11 languages.
If you care about health, please read studies about the optimal daily walking steps for longevity, and scientists find ways to increase the longevity of cancer survivors.
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The research is published in The Journals of Gerontology: Series A and was conducted by Nancy W Glynn et al.
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