LIFESTYLE NEWS - Keeping active throughout life could help keep the body younger and healthier as we age, according to new UK research.
Carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham and King’s College London, the study set out to look at whether a lifetime of exercise had slowed down aging in a group of older adult participants.
The researchers recruited 125 male and female healthy amateur cyclists, who were aged 55 to 79 and had been cycling for nearly all of their adult lives.
The participants provided blood samples and muscle biopsy samples, which were then compared to a group of healthy adults who did not take part in regular physical activity.
This group consisted of 55 young adults aged 20 to 36, and 75 older adults aged 57 to 80.
Results showed that a loss of muscle mass and strength, which is often believed to be normal part of the aging process, did not occur in the cyclists.
In addition, their body fat and cholesterol levels also had not increased with age.
The men’s testosterone levels had also remained high, rather than declined with age, suggesting that they may have avoided most of the ‘male menopause.’
