Physically active people are biologically younger than
people who have a sedentary lifestyle, a British study revealed.
Scientists from the King’s College London gathered their information
from an experiment involving 2,401 white twins. They found key pieces of DNA
called telomeres shortened more quickly in inactive people. It is believed that
could signify faster cellular ageing. As people age, their telomeres become
shorter, leaving cells more susceptible to damage and death. People who were
active had longer telomeres than those of the same age that were sedentary.
“A sedentary lifestyle increases the propensity to aging-related diseases
and premature death. Inactivity may diminish life expectancy not only by
predisposing to aging-related diseases, but also because it may influence the
aging process itself," study author Lynn F. Cherkas, of King's College
London, said in a prepared statement.
People who have an active lifestyle seem to have lower rates
of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. According to the new
research, inactivity is also connected to a speed of the ageing process itself.
“Such a relationship between leukocyte telomere length and physical activity
remained significant after adjustment for body-mass index, smoking,
socioeconomic status and physical activity at work. The mean difference in
leukocyte telomere length between the most active [who performed an average of
199 minutes of physical activity per week] and least active [16 minutes of
physical activity per week] subjects was 200 nucleotides, which means that the
most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary individuals up to
10 years younger, on average,” the authors wrote in their study.
The researchers also suspected stress to have an effect on the length of the
telomere and concluded that people with greater physical exercise experience
reduction in stress level.
“These data suggest that the act of exercising may actually protect the body
against the aging process,” said Tim D. Spector, a professor of genetic
epidemiology at King's College in London
The researchers said they hoped doctors could use the findings to encourage
people to exercise.
“Hopefully, when clinicians are advising patients, this could be another
reason to offer. It may slow down the aging process and people may actually look
and feel younger, which we know would be a good thing for most of the
population,” Spector said.
However, more research is needed to confirm a direct link between physical
activity and aging, the researchers said.
The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association’s
Archives of Internal Medicine.
