Health Farm

-- In case you needed another reason to get off the couch: exercise keeps you younger.

Researchers have discovered that endurance exercise, such as running and cycling, helps you age better (slower) than resistance exercise, thanks to heightened telomerase activity.

What’s going on?

Telomerase activity regulates telomere length - a marker of aging, As we age, telomeres get shorter.

Endurance exercise turns back the clock, activating telomerase activity, which researchers say slows the rate at which telomeres get shorter.

Could this be the ticket to living longer, or perhaps looking younger than you actually are?

Quite possibly.

Under the microscope

DNA is organised into chromosomes, and at the end of each chromosome is a repetitive DNA sequence, called a telomere.

Telomeres cap the chromosome, protecting its ends from deterioration. But as we age, telomeres get shorter until they’re no longer able to protect the chromosomal DNA. leading to cell death.

In a study that randomly assigned 124 participants to one of three exercise groups, researchers discovered that telomerase activity increased two-to-three-fold during endurance and high intensity training compared to resistance training.

Researchers suggest elevated levels of nitric oxide in blood vessels during endurance and high intensity training is a possible mechanism that explains increased telomerase activity.

Keep your gym membership, but be sure to sprint between lamp posts on the way there.