Sedentary lifestyle speeds up biological aging: Study
The negative health effects of a sedentary lifestyle are well known, but young professionals are not the only ones affected. New research investigates the impact of low physical activity on the biological age of elderly women. As we age, so do our cells. In fact, we can safely say that cellular aging is aging, as cells make up every organ in our body. However, the rate at which our cells die varies from person to person. Lifestyle factors - such as alcohol consumption, smoking, exercise, or stress - can greatly influence the progression of cellular aging.
Our cells normally react to stimuli from both inside and outside the body, and they do so using a variety of biological pathways. Genetic regulation is one such pathway.
Among other things, our cells contain telomeres, which are repetitive sections of DNA located at the end of chromosomes. Telomeres protect chromosomes from deteriorating, which has been likened to the way that the tips of shoelaces protect them from fraying.
Telomere length has been associated with aging and disease. As we age, telomeres become shorter and shorter until the cells die or transform into oncogenic cells. Short telomeres have been linked with cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Researchers at University of California-San Diego (UCSD) - led by Aladdin Shadyab, Ph.D., from the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UCSD School of Medicine - examined the effects of a sedentary lifestyle on cell age in elderly women.
The findings were published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Assessing the link between telomeres, exercise, and biological age Researchers evaluated the link between leukocyte telomere length (LTL) and sedentary time in 1,481 older women, who were either white or African-American, from the Womens Health Initiative - a cross-sectional, longitudinal study from 2012-2013, which examined the factors that determine chronic diseases in postmenopausal women.
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