Randomised Controlled Trial • 2014 • Pahor and colleagues; JAMA
Research Summary
The LIFE trial tested whether a structured physical activity programme could help vulnerable older adults retain mobility. Participants were sedentary adults aged 70–89 who had physical limitations but could initially complete the study’s walking assessment. The intervention combined walking with strength, flexibility and balance work and was compared with health education. Over an average follow-up of about 2.6 years, major mobility disability occurred in 30.1% of the activity group and 35.5% of the education group. The reported hazard ratio was 0.82. These findings concern a meaningful everyday ability, rather than a laboratory marker alone. They support sustained, structured activity in a selected older population. The study does not identify one exercise as the cause of the benefit, and its supervised support and participant criteria matter when applying the findings elsewhere.
Evidence and limitations: Large RCT with clinically meaningful mobility outcome
Catalogue reference: KL-013. Source reviewed: 27 September 2026. This summary is independent of the publisher.