Exercise may restore some youth to blood vessels - Reuters

Moderate exercise might help older adults' blood vessels relax, a study has found -- pointing to one reason why exercise lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

As people age, their blood vessels can become more constricted and less pliable in response to blood flow, a change that contributes to high blood pressure and clogged arteries.

But in the new study, older men who took up regular exercise were able to substantially reduce this effect of aging.

The findings are good news for sedentary older adults, researchers say, because the benefit required only moderate activity -- namely, taking a walk five times a week.