A study released today suggests that exercise may slow the aging process at the molecular level. The study looked at the effect of exercise on telomeres (sequences of DNA) taken from blood samples of twins. Because telomeres shrink over time, they are thought to reflect the aging process.
According to Scientific American,
the telomeres of subjects who exercised the most (an average of 199 minutes weekly) were longer than those of volunteers who worked out the least (a mere 16 minutes or less a week). The discrepancy was enough, researchers wrote, to suggest that the exercise mavens were on average as much as a decade biologically younger than the slackers.
The relationship between exercise and telomere length "remained significant after adjustment for body mass index, smoking, socioeconomic status and physical activity at work."
Yes, I went to the gym today, even before finding this article.
Categories: Science