Sitting still could kill you faster.
No scientist would likely make such a broad claim. But new research provides evidence that a sedentary lifestyle, coupled with other factors such as smoking and income, may accelerate the aging process.
That was the conclusion of a group of British and American scientists, whose study was published last month in the Archives for Internal Medicine journal. Led by Dr. Lynn Cherkas of the Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, King's College London, the research examined volunteers' physical activity levels in leisure for a year and their leukocyte telomere length, a DNA component that is a biological indicator of aging.
LTL tends to be short in persons with diseases, such as diabetes or heart failure. Researchers found that on average the most active subjects had telomeres the same length as sedentary persons up to 10 years younger.
Subjects who are physically inactive may be biologically older by 10 years compared to more active subjects, the authors argue.
"Adults who partake in regulary physical activity are biologically younger than sedentary individuals," the authors write in the journal article, titled "The Association Between Physical Activity in Leisure Time and Leukocyte Telomere Length." "This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential antiaging effect of regular exercise."
The findings help underscore the importance of regular exercise to slow the effects of aging and age-related illnesses. U.S. health guidelines recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity at least 5 days a week in order to achieve health benefits.
The study examined 2,401 white twin volunteers, comprised of 2,152 women and 249 men. Participants completed a questionnaire that asked about physical activity, smoking and socioeconomic status. Participants also made a clinic visit and had blood samples taken.
To better understand benefits of exercise throughout life, a long-term study that monitors intensity, duration, and frequency of exercise of participants from different stages of life would be useful, the journal authors suggest.
The research received funding from the Welcome Trust, National Institutes of Health and the Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey.
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Here's the citation, if you too want to look at the journal article.
(The Association Between Physical Activity in Leisure Time and Leukocyte Telomere Length by Lynn F. Cherkas, PhD; Janice L. Hunkin, BSc; Bernet S. Kato, PhD; J. Brent Richards, MD; Jeffrey P. Gardner, PhD; Gabriela L. Surdulescu, MSc; Masayuki Kimura, MD, PhD; Xiaobin Lu, MD; Tim D. Spector, MD, FRCP; Abraham Aviv, MD in The Archives of Internal Medicine, Jan. 28, 2008, pp: 154-158. Volume 168 (2)
So what's a leukocyte and what does this cell do in the body? Why did the researchers focus on this cell type? Confronted by an undefined scientific term, distracting questions like this pop up.
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