Researchers at University of California San Diego
School of Medicine report that elderly women who sit
for more than 10 hours a day with low physical
activity have cells that are biologically older by
eight years compared to women who are less
sedentary.
The study found elderly women with less than 40
minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity
per day and who remain sedentary for more than 10
hours per day have shorter telomeres — tiny caps
found on the ends of DNA strands, like the plastic
tips of shoelaces, that protect chromosomes from
deterioration and progressively shorten with age.
As a cell ages, its telomeres naturally shorten and
fray, but health and lifestyle factors, such as
obesity and smoking, may accelerate that process.
Shortened telomeres are associated with
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and major cancers.
“Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary
lifestyle. Chronological age doesn’t always match
biological age,” said Aladdin Shadyab, PhD, lead
author of the study with the Department of Family
Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of
Medicine.
Shadyab and his research team believe they are the
first to objectively measure how the combination of
sedentary time and exercise can impact the aging
biomarker.
Nearly 1,500 women, ages 64 to 95, participated in
the study. The women are part of the larger Women’s
Health Initiative (WHI), a national, longitudinal
study investigating the determinants of chronic
diseases in postmenopausal women.
The participants completed questionnaires and wore
an accelerometer on their right hip for seven
consecutive days during waking and sleeping hours to
track their movements.
“We found that women who sat longer did not have
shorter telomere length if they exercised for at
least 30 minutes a day, the national recommended
guideline,” said Shadyab. “Discussions about the
benefits of exercise should start when we are young,
and physical activity should continue to be part of
our daily lives as we get older, even at 80 years
old.”
Shadyab said future studies will examine how
exercise relates to telomere length in younger
populations and in men.
Additional co-authors include: Caroline Macera,
Richard Shaffer, Sonia Jain, Linda Gallo, Michael
LaMonte, Alexander Reiner, Charles Kooperberg, Cara
Carty, Chongzhi Di, Todd Manini, Lifang Hou, and
Andrea LaCroix, all at UC San Diego.
See also
Telomere extension turns back aging clock
(2015-02-04)
Link...
Depression Linked to Telomere Enzyme, Aging, Chronic
Disease (2013-05-24)
Link...
Study Finds DNA Length Can Predict Life Expectancy
(2013-03-20)
Link...
Ultra short telomeres linked to osteoarthritis
(24/01/2012)
Link...
Offspring of older fathers may live longer
(23/07/2012)
Link...
For more information
American Journal of Epidemiology
Associations of Accelerometer-Measured and
Self-Reported Sedentary Time With Leukocyte Telomere
Length in Older Women
Link...
University of California San Diego School of
Medicine
Link...
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