Older adults who stay active could be shielding themselves from psychological distress such as depression, according to a new study.
Researchers from the University of Western Sydney reported that people who are the most physically active are also the ones who are the least likely to be functionally limited -- meaning, the less active a person is, the higher the risk of being functionally limited.
However, researchers also found that people with psychological distress are four times more likely to be functionally limited than people without psychological distress.
"There is a significant, positive relationship between physical activity and physical function in older adults, with older adults who are more physically active being less likely to experience functional limitation than their more-sedentary counterparts," the researchers wrote in the study.
