High levels of exercise, equal to 30-40 minutes of jogging per day 5 days per week, linked to nine years of less aging at the cellular level.
Telomeres are tiny caps on the ends of chromosomes that protect our DNA from damage. They get shorter every year and are a biological marker for aging. Exercise is one of the most robust ways to slow telomere attrition and someone that is very physically active may have a biological age that is even 10 years younger than their chronological age. In this study, a high level of exercise was defined as 30 minutes of jogging per day for 5 days a week for women and 40 minutes per day for men. Get out there and sweat!
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FTA:
Exercise science professor Larry Tucker found adults with high physical activity levels have telomeres with a biological aging advantage of nine years over those who are sedentary, and a seven-year advantage compared to those who are moderately active. To be highly active, women had to engage in 30 minutes of jogging per day (40 minutes for men), five days a week.
“If you want to see a real difference in slowing your biological aging, it appears that a little exercise won’t cut it,” Tucker said. “You have to work out regularly at high levels.”