Exercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

[Guest guest]

EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

BY ROB STEIN - The Washington Post

January 29, 2008

URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339

Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular

level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that

offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off aging.

The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for the

first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the

protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keeping

frailty at bay. " These data suggest that the act of exercising may

actually protect the body against the aging process, " a professor of

genetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim Spector, said.

Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the Archives of

Internal Medicine.

Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the

risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially

extending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how, Mr. Spector

and his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres inside cells.

Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that carry

genes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When the

telomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide. Scientists

believe that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of

their telomeres and die — muscles weaken, skin wrinkles, eyesight, and

hearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.

Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from white blood

cells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-term health

study, examining whether there was a relationship between the

subjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in their

spare time over a 10-year period.

" We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of biological

aging, " Mr. Spector said.

The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to their

activity levels, the researchers found. People who did a moderate

amount of exercise — about 100 minutes a week of activity such as

tennis, swimming, or running — had telomeres that on average looked

like those of someone about five or six years younger than those who

did the least — about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most —

doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity — had

telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those who

did the least.

" There was a gradient, " Mr. Spector said. " As the amount of exercise

increased, the telomere length increased. " Other researchers said the

findings are intriguing.

" It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why exercise is

important in longevity, " Coles, who studies aging at the

University of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles and

others stressed that much more research is needed to definitively

establish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.

" It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting association, "

Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote an

editorial accompanying the research said. " But we have to interpret

this with caution. People who choose to exercise are different in many

ways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult from these

observational studies to determine whether it's the exercise that's

having the effects. "

Mr. Spector said the association held even after the researchers took

into consideration factors that might explain the findings, such as

the possibility that those who exercised least were more likely to

smoke or to be obese or sick. " We checked to make sure it wasn't due

to obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else we could

think of, " Mr. Spector said. " We still found this marked effect. "

The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of people who

are sedentary for many years and later begin exercising. When the

researchers compared the least and most active twins with each other,

they found about four years' difference in their telomeres, Mr.

Spector said. " We wanted to see if we could account for the effect of

genes, " he said.

January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-Friendly Version

[Guest guest]

Perhaps it just restores the regular aging process in those who do not live healthy and have this process accelerated.Reminds me of the story of the typical American who came upon a rare long live tribe while doing some international traveling and he was marveled that all the 70 year olds looked 50. To which the tribal leader said, actually, our 70 year olds look 70, its your 50 year olds who look 70. :)Remember reducing an elevated risk is good, but eliminating the risk is better.As one of the researchers said..But Mr. Coles andothers stressed that much more research is needed to definitivelyestablish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.Thats even for a "casual' relationship.RegardsJeff On Jan 29, 2008, at 3:29 PM, bill4cr wrote:EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study SuggestsBY ROB STEIN - The Washington PostJanuary 29, 2008URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecularlevel than those of couch potatoes, according to new research thatoffers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off aging.The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for thefirst time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of theprotective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keepingfrailty at bay. "These data suggest that the act of exercising mayactually protect the body against the aging process," a professor ofgenetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim Spector, said.Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the Archives ofInternal Medicine.Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces therisk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentiallyextending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how, Mr. Spectorand his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres inside cells.Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that carrygenes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When thetelomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide. Scientistsbelieve that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end oftheir telomeres and die — muscles weaken, skin wrinkles, eyesight, andhearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from white bloodcells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-term healthstudy, examining whether there was a relationship between thesubjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in theirspare time over a 10-year period."We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of biologicalaging," Mr. Spector said.The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to theiractivity levels, the researchers found. People who did a moderateamount of exercise — about 100 minutes a week of activity such astennis, swimming, or running — had telomeres that on average lookedlike those of someone about five or six years younger than those whodid the least — about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most —doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity — hadtelomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those whodid the least."There was a gradient," Mr. Spector said. "As the amount of exerciseincreased, the telomere length increased." Other researchers said thefindings are intriguing."It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why exercise isimportant in longevity," Coles, who studies aging at theUniversity of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles andothers stressed that much more research is needed to definitivelyestablish a causal relationship between exercise and aging."It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting association,"Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote aneditorial accompanying the research said. "But we have to interpretthis with caution. People who choose to exercise are different in manyways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult from theseobservational studies to determine whether it's the exercise that'shaving the effects."Mr. Spector said the association held even after the researchers tookinto consideration factors that might explain the findings, such asthe possibility that those who exercised least were more likely tosmoke or to be obese or sick. "We checked to make sure it wasn't dueto obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else we couldthink of," Mr. Spector said. "We still found this marked effect."The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of people whoare sedentary for many years and later begin exercising. When theresearchers compared the least and most active twins with each other,they found about four years' difference in their telomeres, Mr.Spector said. "We wanted to see if we could account for the effect ofgenes," he said.January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-Friendly Version

[Guest guest]

But *causal* (not " casual " ) relationships are most often very

difficult to find. I think it's simply a matter of semantics whether

aging is accelerated in those that don't exercise or aging is slowed

in those that do. The important point is that there is a good

correlation.

I noticed that the article states that the authors looked into a

number of contributing factors, such as smoking, obesity, marital

status, etc. I didn't see any mention of tracking dietary antioxidant

and nutrient intake. Seems to me that those who exercise regularly

are more likely to have a healthier diet, which would be a very

important contributing factor. Thoughts?

-Dave

>

> > EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

> >

> > BY ROB STEIN - The Washington Post

> > January 29, 2008

> > URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339

> >

> > Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular

> > level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that

> > offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off

> > aging.

> >

> > The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for the

> > first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the

> > protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keeping

> > frailty at bay. " These data suggest that the act of exercising may

> > actually protect the body against the aging process, " a professor of

> > genetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim Spector, said.

> > Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the Archives of

> > Internal Medicine.

> >

> > Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the

> > risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially

> > extending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how, Mr. Spector

> > and his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres inside

> > cells.

> >

> > Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that carry

> > genes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When the

> > telomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide. Scientists

> > believe that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of

> > their telomeres and die — muscles weaken, skin wrinkles, eyesight, and

> > hearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.

> >

> > Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from white blood

> > cells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-term health

> > study, examining whether there was a relationship between the

> > subjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in their

> > spare time over a 10-year period.

> >

> > " We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of biological

> > aging, " Mr. Spector said.

> >

> > The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to their

> > activity levels, the researchers found. People who did a moderate

> > amount of exercise — about 100 minutes a week of activity such as

> > tennis, swimming, or running — had telomeres that on average looked

> > like those of someone about five or six years younger than those who

> > did the least — about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most —

> > doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity — had

> > telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those who

> > did the least.

> >

> > " There was a gradient, " Mr. Spector said. " As the amount of exercise

> > increased, the telomere length increased. " Other researchers said the

> > findings are intriguing.

> >

> > " It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why exercise is

> > important in longevity, " Coles, who studies aging at the

> > University of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles and

> > others stressed that much more research is needed to definitively

> > establish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.

> >

> > " It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting association, "

> > Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote an

> > editorial accompanying the research said. " But we have to interpret

> > this with caution. People who choose to exercise are different in many

> > ways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult from these

> > observational studies to determine whether it's the exercise that's

> > having the effects. "

> >

> > Mr. Spector said the association held even after the researchers took

> > into consideration factors that might explain the findings, such as

> > the possibility that those who exercised least were more likely to

> > smoke or to be obese or sick. " We checked to make sure it wasn't due

> > to obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else we could

> > think of, " Mr. Spector said. " We still found this marked effect. "

> >

> > The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of people who

> > are sedentary for many years and later begin exercising. When the

> > researchers compared the least and most active twins with each other,

> > they found about four years' difference in their telomeres, Mr.

> > Spector said. " We wanted to see if we could account for the effect of

> > genes, " he said.

> >

> > January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-Friendly Version

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Although my personal experience doesn’t mean a darn and is just anecdotal, I’ve known many a runner ( forgive me ) who ate all manner of fast food and even smoked. There is a subset of “exercisers” who think that they can do anything they want and the exercise will somehow neutralize it.

From: orb85750 <orb85750@...>

Reply-< >

Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2008 01:19:25 -0000

< >

Subject: [ ] Re: Exercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

I noticed that the article states that the authors looked into a

number of contributing factors, such as smoking, obesity, marital

status, etc. I didn't see any mention of tracking dietary antioxidant

and nutrient intake. Seems to me that those who exercise regularly

are more likely to have a healthier diet, which would be a very

important contributing factor. Thoughts?

-Dave

>

> > EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

> >

> > BY ROB STEIN - The Washington Post

> > January 29, 2008

> > URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339

> >

> > Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular

> > level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that

> > offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off

> > aging.

> >

> > The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for the

> > first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the

> > protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keeping

> > frailty at bay. " These data suggest that the act of exercising may

> > actually protect the body against the aging process, " a professor of

> > genetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim Spector, said.

> > Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the Archives of

> > Internal Medicine.

> >

> > Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the

> > risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially

> > extending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how, Mr. Spector

> > and his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres inside

> > cells.

> >

> > Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that carry

> > genes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When the

> > telomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide. Scientists

> > believe that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of

> > their telomeres and die ˜ muscles weaken, skin wrinkles, eyesight, and

> > hearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.

> >

> > Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from white blood

> > cells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-term health

> > study, examining whether there was a relationship between the

> > subjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in their

> > spare time over a 10-year period.

> >

> > " We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of biological

> > aging, " Mr. Spector said.

> >

> > The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to their

> > activity levels, the researchers found. People who did a moderate

> > amount of exercise ˜ about 100 minutes a week of activity such as

> > tennis, swimming, or running ˜ had telomeres that on average looked

> > like those of someone about five or six years younger than those who

> > did the least ˜ about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most ˜

> > doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity ˜ had

> > telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those who

> > did the least.

> >

> > " There was a gradient, " Mr. Spector said. " As the amount of exercise

> > increased, the telomere length increased. " Other researchers said the

> > findings are intriguing.

> >

> > " It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why exercise is

> > important in longevity, " Coles, who studies aging at the

> > University of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles and

> > others stressed that much more research is needed to definitively

> > establish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.

> >

> > " It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting association, "

> > Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote an

> > editorial accompanying the research said. " But we have to interpret

> > this with caution. People who choose to exercise are different in many

> > ways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult from these

> > observational studies to determine whether it's the exercise that's

> > having the effects. "

> >

> > Mr. Spector said the association held even after the researchers took

> > into consideration factors that might explain the findings, such as

> > the possibility that those who exercised least were more likely to

> > smoke or to be obese or sick. " We checked to make sure it wasn't due

> > to obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else we could

> > think of, " Mr. Spector said. " We still found this marked effect. "

> >

> > The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of people who

> > are sedentary for many years and later begin exercising. When the

> > researchers compared the least and most active twins with each other,

> > they found about four years' difference in their telomeres, Mr.

> > Spector said. " We wanted to see if we could account for the effect of

> > genes, " he said.

> >

> > January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-Friendly Version

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

I don't know if they controlled for those who chose to exercise for health,  or vanity, or maybe just  play (or work).It is likely no matter why they exercised, they ate more food as a result. With a purely random selection of food, eating more, is less likely to result in some nutrient deficiency. I have already speculated that more active exercisers may get more sun exposure (natural Vit D).Another factor that may have some health impact is stress management. We are routinely stressed by modern life and our body generates a fight or flight response. I don't know the exact chemistry involved but believe regular exercise harmlessly burns these off.JRPS: No worries Fran.. I know plenty of runners who run just so they could eat crap... I used to be one.exercise more are likely to eat moreOn Jan 30, 2008, at 7:19 PM, orb85750 wrote:But *causal* (not "casual") relationships are most often verydifficult to find. I think it's simply a matter of semantics whetheraging is accelerated in those that don't exercise or aging is slowedin those that do. The important point is that there is a goodcorrelation.I noticed that the article states that the authors looked into anumber of contributing factors, such as smoking, obesity, maritalstatus, etc. I didn't see any mention of tracking dietary antioxidantand nutrient intake. Seems to me that those who exercise regularlyare more likely to have a healthier diet, which would be a veryimportant contributing factor. Thoughts?-Dave> > > EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests> >> > BY ROB STEIN - The Washington Post> > January 29, 2008> > URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339> >> > Physically active people have cells that look younger on a molecular> > level than those of couch potatoes, according to new research that> > offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help stave off > > aging.> >> > The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found for the> > first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of the> > protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps keeping> > frailty at bay. "These data suggest that the act of exercising may> > actually protect the body against the aging process," a professor of> > genetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim Spector, said.> > Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the Archives of> > Internal Medicine.> >> > Previous research has shown that being physically active reduces the> > risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially> > extending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how, Mr. Spector> > and his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres inside > > cells.> >> > Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that carry> > genes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter. When the> > telomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide. Scientists> > believe that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the end of> > their telomeres and die — muscles weaken, skin wrinkles, eyesight, and> > hearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.> >> > Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from white blood> > cells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-term health> > study, examining whether there was a relationship between the> > subjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in their> > spare time over a 10-year period.> >> > "We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of biological> > aging," Mr. Spector said.> >> > The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to their> > activity levels, the researchers found. People who did a moderate> > amount of exercise — about 100 minutes a week of activity such as> > tennis, swimming, or running — had telomeres that on average looked> > like those of someone about five or six years younger than those who> > did the least — about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the most —> > doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous activity — had> > telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than those who> > did the least.> >> > "There was a gradient," Mr. Spector said. "As the amount of exercise> > increased, the telomere length increased." Other researchers said the> > findings are intriguing.> >> > "It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why exercise is> > important in longevity," Coles, who studies aging at the> > University of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles and> > others stressed that much more research is needed to definitively> > establish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.> >> > "It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting association,"> > Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote an> > editorial accompanying the research said. "But we have to interpret> > this with caution. People who choose to exercise are different in many> > ways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult from these> > observational studies to determine whether it's the exercise that's> > having the effects."> >> > Mr. Spector said the association held even after the researchers took> > into consideration factors that might explain the findings, such as> > the possibility that those who exercised least were more likely to> > smoke or to be obese or sick. "We checked to make sure it wasn't due> > to obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else we could> > think of," Mr. Spector said. "We still found this marked effect."> >> > The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of people who> > are sedentary for many years and later begin exercising. When the> > researchers compared the least and most active twins with each other,> > they found about four years' difference in their telomeres, Mr.> > Spector said. "We wanted to see if we could account for the effect of> > genes," he said.> >> > January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-Friendly Version> >> >> >>

[Guest guest]

Hi folks:

From the same source as the study being discussed in this thread:

Am J Clin Nutr. 2007 Nov;86(5):1420-5.

" Higher serum vitamin D concentrations are associated with longer

leukocyte telomere length in women. "

s JB, Valdes AM, Gardner JP, Paximadas D, Kimura M, Nessa A,

Lu X, Surdulescu GL, Swaminathan R, Spector TD, Aviv A.

Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology, St ' Hospital, King's

College, London School of Medicine, London, United Kingdom.

brent.richards@...

" BACKGROUND: Vitamin D is a potent inhibitor of the proinflammatory

response and thereby diminishes turnover of leukocytes. Leukocyte

telomere length (LTL) is a predictor of aging-related disease and

decreases with each cell cycle and increased inflammation.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to examine whether vitamin

D concentrations would attenuate the rate of telomere attrition in

leukocytes, such that higher vitamin D concentrations would be

associated with longer LTL. DESIGN: Serum vitamin D concentrations

were measured in 2160 women aged 18-79 y (mean age: 49.4) from a

large population-based cohort of twins. LTL was measured by using

the Southern blot method. RESULTS: Age was negatively correlated

with LTL (r = -0.40, P < 0.0001). Serum vitamin D concentrations

were positively associated with LTL (r = 0.07, P = 0.0010), and this

relation persisted after adjustment for age (r = 0.09, P < 0.0001)

and other covariates (age, season of vitamin D measurement,

menopausal status, use of hormone replacement therapy, and physical

activity; P for trend across tertiles = 0.003). The difference in

LTL between the highest and lowest tertiles of vitamin D was 107

base pairs (P = 0.0009), which is equivalent to 5.0 y of telomeric

aging. This difference was further accentuated by increased

concentrations of C-reactive protein, which is a measure of systemic

inflammation. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that higher vitamin D

concentrations, which are easily modifiable through nutritional

supplementation, are associated with longer LTL, which underscores

the potentially beneficial effects of this hormone on aging and age-

related diseases. "

PMID: 17991655

Full text is available free at PubMed for anyone wanting to see it.

I wonder if this means that if you raise your serum vitamin D it

lengthens your telomeres?

Rodney.

> > >

> > > > EExercise Slows Aging in Genes, Twin Study Suggests

> > > >

> > > > BY ROB STEIN - The Washington Post

> > > > January 29, 2008

> > > > URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/70339

> > > >

> > > > Physically active people have cells that look younger on a

> > molecular

> > > > level than those of couch potatoes, according to new

research that

> > > > offers a fundamental new clue into how exercise may help

stave off

> > > > aging.

> > > >

> > > > The study, involving more than 2,400 British twins, found

for the

> > > > first time that exercise appears to slow the shriveling of

the

> > > > protective tips on bundles of genes inside cells, perhaps

keeping

> > > > frailty at bay. " These data suggest that the act of

exercising may

> > > > actually protect the body against the aging process, " a

> > professor of

> > > > genetic epidemiology at King's College in London, Tim

Spector,

> > said.

> > > > Mr. Spector led the study, published yesterday in the

Archives of

> > > > Internal Medicine.

> > > >

> > > > Previous research has shown that being physically active

> > reduces the

> > > > risk of heart disease, cancer and other diseases, potentially

> > > > extending longevity. In the hopes of helping explain how,

Mr.

> > Spector

> > > > and his colleagues examined structures known as telomeres

inside

> > > > cells.

> > > >

> > > > Telomeres cap the ends of chromosomes, the structures that

carry

> > > > genes. Every time a cell divides, the telomeres get

shorter.

> > When the

> > > > telomeres get too short, the cell can no longer divide.

Scientists

> > > > believe that aging occurs as more and more cells reach the

end of

> > > > their telomeres and die — muscles weaken, skin wrinkles,

> > eyesight, and

> > > > hearing fade, organs fail, and thinking clouds.

> > > >

> > > > Mr. Spector and his colleagues analyzed the telomeres from

> > white blood

> > > > cells collected from 2,401 twins participating in a long-

term

> > health

> > > > study, examining whether there was a relationship between the

> > > > subjects' telomere length and how much exercise they got in

their

> > > > spare time over a 10-year period.

> > > >

> > > > " We're using telomere length as a marker of our rate of

biological

> > > > aging, " Mr. Spector said.

> > > >

> > > > The length of the twins' telomeres was directly related to

their

> > > > activity levels, the researchers found. People who did a

moderate

> > > > amount of exercise — about 100 minutes a week of activity

such as

> > > > tennis, swimming, or running — had telomeres that on

average

> > looked

> > > > like those of someone about five or six years younger than

> > those who

> > > > did the least — about 16 minutes a week. Those who did the

most —

> > > > doing about three hours a week of moderate to vigorous

activity

> > — had

> > > > telomeres that appeared to be about nine years younger than

> > those who

> > > > did the least.

> > > >

> > > > " There was a gradient, " Mr. Spector said. " As the amount of

> > exercise

> > > > increased, the telomere length increased. " Other

researchers

> > said the

> > > > findings are intriguing.

> > > >

> > > > " It's another jigsaw piece in trying to understand why

exercise is

> > > > important in longevity, " Coles, who studies aging at

the

> > > > University of California at Los Angeles, said. But Mr. Coles

and

> > > > others stressed that much more research is needed to

definitively

> > > > establish a causal relationship between exercise and aging.

> > > >

> > > > " It's a fairly strong association and a very interesting

> > association, "

> > > > Jack Guralnik of the National Institute on Aging, who wrote

an

> > > > editorial accompanying the research said. " But we have to

> > interpret

> > > > this with caution. People who choose to exercise are

different

> > in many

> > > > ways from people who don't exercise. It's always difficult

from

> > these

> > > > observational studies to determine whether it's the

exercise

> > that's

> > > > having the effects. "

> > > >

> > > > Mr. Spector said the association held even after the

> > researchers took

> > > > into consideration factors that might explain the findings,

> > such as

> > > > the possibility that those who exercised least were more

likely to

> > > > smoke or to be obese or sick. " We checked to make sure it

> > wasn't due

> > > > to obesity or smoking or marital status and everything else

we

> > could

> > > > think of, " Mr. Spector said. " We still found this marked

effect. "

> > > >

> > > > The study did not address what happens to the telomeres of

> > people who

> > > > are sedentary for many years and later begin exercising.

When the

> > > > researchers compared the least and most active twins with

each

> > other,

> > > > they found about four years' difference in their telomeres,

Mr.

> > > > Spector said. " We wanted to see if we could account for the

> > effect of

> > > > genes, " he said.

> > > >

> > > > January 29, 2008 Edition > Section: Foreign > Printer-

Friendly

> > Version

> > > >

> > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

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