Getting fit in middle age halves the risk of suffering a stroke later in life, researchers have found.
Scientists said it is never too late to take up exercise – and turning your life around even after years of inactivity can quickly play dividends.
Remarkably, they found men who got off the sofa and started getting fit in their 40s and 50s saw their stroke risk drop to levels seen among those who had exercised throughout their youth.
The findings, by experts in Norway, offer hope that it is not too late to get fit to the millions of middle-aged people in Britain who do very little exercise.
Erik Prestgaard, doctor in cardiology department at Oslo University Hospital, said even after decades spent doing little physical activity, people who change their habits in this period can dramatically improve their chances of a healthy retirement.
