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Elderly women who sit more than 10 hours a day and fail to get at least 40 minutes of daily exercise are at risk of increased telomere shortening
We know that exercise is good for you, although exactly how much is needed to reap the benefits is still up for debate. For a number of reasons, many older people struggle to get sufficient exercise and spend a majority of their time sitting down. Many younger people also fail to exercise frequently too, but as poor health is a greater concern in older demographics, researchers wanted to test whether a sedentary lifestyle could cause accelerated telomere aging in elderly women. Is telomere loss is quickened by a lack of exercise? A study involving 1,481 women over the age of 65 sought to measure telomeres and determine whether length was correlated with physical activity. They attached accelerometer devices to each patient to measure their physical movement, recorded sleep patterns, and also asked participants to record their activities on a questionnaire. They then measured their blood cell telomeres, which is the most common method of determining telomere length. In order to minimise confounding elements, they also took into account factors such as smoking, presence of other diseases, marital status and hormone medication. The researchers then compared a group that failed to complete at least 40 minutes of exercise a day.“Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn’t always match biological age”
What did they find?Finding time for just a 30 minute walk could help reduce telomere loss in elderly women
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