Age has nothing to do with making an effort to remain fit. One can start exercising in any age and it would deliver its effects. A new study finds exercise to derive beneficial results even if one starts doing later in life.

The study found endurance exercise boosted heart health among healthy, senior men irrespective of the age when they started doing exercise. The study performed in France included 40 healthy men aged between 55 and 70 years. They did not have any cardiovascular risk factor.

They were divided into groups as per the level of exercise they performed and the ages at which they started performing it. Ten men out of 40 had never exercised for more than 2 hours a week in their lives. Thirty had exercised at least seven hours a week for more than five years, either starting performing exercise before they got 30 years old or after the age of 40.

Regular exercises included running or cycling. People doing exercise before the age of 30 were training for an average 39 years and those who started at 40 for 18 years.

Assessment was carried out using maximal exercise testing, echocardiography at rest and submaximal exercise and heart rate analysis. Researcher David Matelot from the Inserm 1099 unit in Rennes, France said, "Despite biological changes with age, the heart still seems -- even at the age of 40 -- amenable to modification by endurance training".

Matelot said endurance training is beneficial for bone density and muscle mass. Moreover, it is never too late to bring a healthy change in lifestyle.