Catch your breath

People who suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are usually instructed to avoid aerobic activity. Challenging a set of lungs already compromised by coughing and wheezing was thought to increase the chance of complications. However, a study published in the February 2003 edition of the journal Thorax has found that mild exercise such as walking can actually reduce the probability of hospitalization for COPD sufferers. The study, conducted over 1.1 years, observed 340 men, some of whom were sedentary. Others did the equivalent of one hour of walking each day. The researchers found that the men who exercised had about half the risk of being hospitalized than the sedentary group. The authors concluded that these findings have the potential to affect rehabilitation and other therapeutic strategies for those with COPD.