Longevity Briefs: Lifestyle May Reverse The Biology Of Ageing – Even In The Frail

Longevity briefs provides a short summary of novel research in biology, medicine, or biotechnology that caught the attention of our researchers in Oxford, due to its potential to improve our health, wellbeing, and longevity.

The problem: We know that there are lifestyle interventions that can slow the progression of ageing at a cellular level, but is it too late for people who are already old and frail? The evidence is quite encouraging, suggesting that lifestyle interventions can improve health, wellbeing and reduce frailty at any age, though it’s obviously preferable to avoid becoming frail in the first place. 

In this study, researchers decided to investigate how lifestyle changes affected oxidative stress among an elderly and frail group. Oxidative stress is caused by harmful by-products of metabolism called reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can be neutralised by antioxidants. Oxidative stress is a significant source of damage at the cellular level, and only increases during ageing as production of ROS increases while antioxidant defences dwindle.

What did the researchers do: In the study, researchers recruited 54 adults (age 84 on average) who had been living at a nursing home for at least a year and who required moderate or high nursing care. They then split them into two equally sized groups. One group underwent a 3-month lifestyle program including caloric restriction, moderate physical activity and psychological support, while the other group continued to receive their usual care, which included short physiotherapist-assisted walks and meals containing the normal number of calories.

To study the effects of these lifestyle changes, researchers measured various markers of oxidative stress and before and after the intervention. They also looked for changes in the participants’ mitochondria, the ‘cellular organs’ that serve as power plants for the cell. Mitochondria produce ROS as a by-product and, during ageing, become increasingly dysfunctional and inefficient. As a result, mitochondria become a major source of ROS and oxidative stress in old age.

Key takeaways:

• Markers of oxidative stress were reduced in the intervention group, while they remained the same or increased in the case of some markers among the control group.
• Levels of certain antioxidants like glutathione and superoxide dismutase were increased in the intervention group, but not the control group.
• The mitochondrial membrane potential (which is a marker of mitochondrial health) had increased in the intervention group but decreased in the control group by the end of the study. Mitochondria from the intervention group also had reduced ROS production.

We already know from previous studies that elderly people – even those living in long-term care facilities – still benefit greatly from lifestyle interventions. This study provides evidence for some of the potential mechanisms: improved mitochondrial health and reduced oxidative stress. The fact that these mechanisms still respond to lifestyle interventions is encouraging. It provides hope that further down the line, we might be able to rejuvenate people by, for example, restoring their mitochondria to a youthful state. Until then exercise, calorie restriction and antioxidant-rich diets are our best bets.