By: Iris Moya
Can it be that someone can be younger on a cellular level than their peers? According to Larry Tucker, professor of exercise science at Brigham “Young” University in Utah, it sure is a possibility. But what does being younger on a cellular level look like? And what does it take to be younger on a cellular level than your peers?
Tucker cross-sectionally studied 5823 adults ages 20 – 84 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which collects data on people’s lifestyle, nutrition, physical acivity, and health. These adults filled out a survey and provided samples of their DNA for the CDC to investigate. From these collections measurements of the lengths of people’s telomeres (molecular caps) found on the ends of chromosomes that protect the genetic structures from damage were taken. [Science Direct 2017]
Over time as we age telomeres shorten, but the rate at which they shorten varies person to person. The longer those telomere, the younger that person is on a cellular level. This is why telomeres are considered a marker of a person’s biological age or the age of that person’s cells rather than that person’s chronological age.
In Tucker’s study he found that people who had high physical activity levels had significantly longer telomeres than people who did not exercise at all. More specifically, he found that men who exercised at the intensity and duration equivalent to 40 minutes of running five days a week and women who exercised at the equivalent to 30 minutes of running five days a week, had telomeres whose length implied that their cells were 9 years younger than the cells of the people who did not exercise at all. He also compared the telomeres of those who exercised at high levels and compared them to those that exercised at low levels and found that their telomere length implied an 8.8 year difference (in other words 8.8 years younger on a cellular level). And he compared the telomeres of those who exercised at high levels and compared them to those that exercised at a moderate level and found that their tolemere length implied a 7.1 year difference (or 7.1 years younger on a cellular level).
In Tucker’s words, “If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological age, it appears that a little exercise won’t cut it. You have to workout regularly and at high levels.” Some would say that the fountain of biological youth is found in high levels of exercise.
