If you want to counter the physical costs of getting old, regular exercise might be your best option, researchers report.
The findings "debunk the assumption that aging
automatically makes us more frail," said researcher Janet Lord. She is
director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University
of Birmingham in England.
In the study, the team assessed 84 male and 41 female
cyclists, aged 55 to 79. The men had to be able to cycle 62 miles in
under 6.5 hours, while the women had to be able to cycle 37 miles in 5.5
hours.
Unlike a "control group" of adults who did not get
regular exercise, the cyclists did not have loss of muscle mass or
strength, did not have age-related increases in body fat or cholesterol
levels, and their immune systems were as robust as much younger people.
Male cyclists also had higher testosterone levels than men in the control group, according to the study authors.
"Our research means we now have strong evidence that
encouraging people to commit to regular exercise throughout their lives
is a viable solution to the problem that we are living longer but not
healthier," Lord added in a university news release.
The findings were published March 8 in the journal Aging Cell.
Researcher Niharika Arora Duggal, also from the
University of Birmingham, said, "We hope these findings prevent the
danger that, as a society, we accept that old age and disease are normal
bedfellows, and that the third age of man is something to be endured
and not enjoyed."