Dancing After 60: Fitter Bodies After Just Eight Weeks
Graded Moderate — an analysis of 24 studies with 1,112 people, only some chosen at random; the certainty of the evidence is rated low, and unsuccessful studies may be missing.
- Design
- Meta-analysis
- Participants
- 1,112
- Duration
- —
- Funding
- —
Healthy people over 60 were more physically capable after dance programs, and eight weeks already brought a clear improvement.
Dance mixes movement, mental effort and company. A large new analysis found that healthy people over 60 who joined dance programs ended up clearly more physically capable than comparison groups. Eight weeks of dancing was already enough for a clear improvement.
The researchers pooled 24 studies with 1,112 participants in total. Some studies chose the dancers at random, others did not. They looked at what the body itself could do and how well people managed daily life. Both areas improved by a medium to large amount. People living at home gained more than nursing home residents. The effect was largest in people aged 70 to 75 and in sessions of about 20 minutes.
These results come with caveats. The authors rate the certainty of the evidence as low. They also found signs that studies without positive results were less likely to be published. And they warn against treating 20 minutes as a standard until it is clear why shorter sessions did better.
Disclaimer: Research summaries are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your health routine.
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