Is Aerobic Exercise the Key to Successful Aging?

A study published in the European Heart Journal suggests aerobic exercises such as jogging and interval training can make our cells biologically younger, while weight training may not yield the same benefit, reports the New York Times . The experiment sought to determine whether exercise would change telomeres, the matter that caps the tips of chromosomes. The researchers enrolled 124 middle-aged people who were healthy but did not exercise, determining their aerobic fitness and telomere length in white blood cells, while also checking blood markers of the amount and activity of each person's telomerase enzyme. A segment of participants continued their routines as is; another either took up brisk walking or jogging for 45 minutes three times a week, or a thrice-weekly, high-intensity interval program. A third cohort engaged in weight training, completing a thrice-weekly circuit of resistance exercises. Exercising participants were more aerobically fit. But at the molecular level, those who had jogged or completed intervals had much longer telomeres in their white blood cells now than at the start and more telomerase activity. The weight trainers' telomeres resembled those of people in the control group, having remained about the same or, in some cases, shortened over six months. The outcomes apparently indicate that exercise must be aerobically straining to lengthen telomeres and slow cellular-level aging.