HHS HealthBeat (March 09, 2006)

The healing touch of exercise.

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Exercise seems to help older folks get past life's nicks and scratches. A study of people from 55 to 77 years of age finds that those who took up exercise healed skin wounds faster.

Researcher Charles Emery of Ohio State University recruited 28 brave volunteers who agreed to be cut a little. The work, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

"The exercise group healed their wound in 29 days, the nonexercise group healed the wound in 39 days, so there was about a 25 percent enhancement of wound healing in the exercise group." (12 seconds)

Emery thinks exercise might promote healing by way of improved immune responses. So he says wound healing may be another reason to at least take 30-minute brisk walks three times a week.

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August, 15 2006