Health
Sedentary lives lead to quicker aging
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 18, 2008
People who are more physically active appear to be biologically younger than those with sedentary lifestyles, according to a Jan. 28 Archives of Internal Medicine study.
Regular exercisers have lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, high blood pressure, obesity and osteoporosis, according to the study of 2,401 twins.
The researchers examined the length of telomeres in the twins' white blood cells. Leukocyte telomeres progressively shorten over time and may serve as a marker of biological age. Telomere length decreased with age, with an average loss of 21 nucleotides per year. Men and women who were less physically active in their leisure time had shorter leukocyte telomeres than those who were more active.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/02/18/hlbf0218.htm.