Older women who are sedentary lose eight years of their lives. This is the conclusion reached by scientists from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. An article with the results of the work was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The website EurekAlert! Informs about it briefly.
The study involved 1,500 women aged 64 to 95 years. An accelerometer was attached to their right thigh, which monitored the physical activity of the subjects for seven days, both while awake and at night. The scientists then measured the length of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes whose shortening is associated with aging.
It was found that those women who exercise for at least 30 minutes a day had longer telomeres than those who led a sedentary lifestyle. This indicates that the cells of the latter are aging faster. In turn, this increases the risk of serious age-related diseases such as cancer or diabetes.
Telomeres are made up of a series of repetitive DNA sequences. They protect the multiplying chromosomes from damage, but with each division, the cells shorten. It is believed that this process is associated with aging, and cells with too short telomeres cannot perform their functions and die.