"Exercising regularly 'can keep heart and arteries young'," BBC News reports.

Researchers recruited 102 older adults with an average age of 70 to a study looking at the relationship between exercise history and the health of their main arteries. All participants were considered healthy, and reported consistent exercise patterns over the last 25 years. 

The researchers took various measures of blood flow and stiffness of the arteries. Excessive stiffness of the arteries can be associated with high blood pressure and atherosclerosis – a potentially serious condition where fatty clots build up in the arteries, which can then block the supply of blood to the heart or brain, triggering a heart attack or stroke. 

People who reported doing the highest frequency of exercise (6 to 7 sessions a week) had the best measures of health for the main artery leaving their heart (the aorta). All people who did 2 or more sessions of exercise a week had healthier measures for the carotid arteries supplying their brain than people who did little or no exercise. 

Unfortunately, this study alone doesn't tell us a great deal. While these measures are indications of arterial health, we don't know whether this makes any difference to risk of developing heart disease or stroke. It's a small sample and different findings may be observed in other samples, such as people who have health problems. Also, estimated amounts of exercise people have done over the years will never be entirely accurate. 

However, it supports the recommendations that regular exercise is good for health and what is good for the heart

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