It’s no secret that being a couch potato can lead to ill effects on your health. Scientists have long known that regular exercise can go a long way in the prevention of heart disease and cancer. However, a group of German researchers have discovered that the secret to maintaining youth may also be connected to physical activity, and that the key to slowing the aging process may be revealed by looking at the body’s cells. The report was recently published in the journal of the American Heart Association, Circulation.
Dr. Ulrich Laufs, a professor of clinical and experimental medicine in the department of internal medicine at Saarland University in Homburg, Germany, and colleagues, found that the white blood cells of endurance athletes had longer telomeres than those of healthy, nonsmoking adults who did not follow a regular exercise program. Telomeres are DNA located at the ends of chromosomes that protect the tips of the chromosomes from damage.
According to Emmanuel Skordalakes, an assistant professor of gene expression and regulation at The Wistar Institute in Philadelphia, telomeres work in much the same way that shoelace tips prevent fraying of the laces. Skordalakes explained that as cells continue to divide over the life span, the telomere is shortened with each division until it becomes so short that the cells cease dividing. This causes aging, leading to loss of muscle strength and skin elasticity, as well as hearing ability, vision, and mental abilities.
During their analysis, the researchers compared the length of the white blood cell telomeres of endurance athletes to those of healthy nonsmokers of the same age who exercised less than one hour weekly. One group of athletes who participated in the study were members of the German National track and field team, who ran more than 45 miles weekly, and had an average age of 20. A second group of participating athletes with an average age of 51 had taken part in endurance exercise by having run an average of about 50 miles weekly since youth.
The athletes were found to have better cardiovascular health as indicated by a slower resting heart rate, lower blood pressure, a lower body mass index, and lower cholesterol than the non-athletes. In addition, the athletes had longer telomeres, and increased activity of telomerase, an enzyme that maintains the telomere. The findings support previous research on telomere length in twins that found on average that exercise makes cells nine years younger, and indicated that the greater your activity, the greater your benefit.
In addition to human subjects, the researchers also used mice to analyze the impact of physical activity on proteins associated with heart disease and cancer. Results showed that mice given access to a running wheel for three weeks experienced increased activity of both tumor-suppressing proteins, and proteins linked to telomere length.
Regarding the study findings, Dr. Laufs said in a statement, “This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise.” In the study report, he and his colleagues concluded, “Our data improve the molecular understanding of the vasculoprotective effects of exercise and underline the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related diseases.”
by - Drucilla Dyess/healthnews.com
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