Exercise Keeps Telomeres Long, and Cells Young

Telomeres may sound like a new brand of running shoes, and perhaps it should. Because telomeres–DNA at the tips of chromosomes that protect the cell- are an excellent indication of aging, or, one hopes, lack of aging. As HealthDay explains, as cells divide over time, telomeres get shorter. When the telomere gets too short, the cell
stops dividing, and the physical process of aging begins. Hence, the longer your telomeres, the more time you have until aging kicks in. And now the news: HealthDay reports that researchers at Saarland University in Hamburg, Germany, measured the length of white blood cell telomeres of
endurance athletes and compared them to the telomeres of age-matched
healthy nonsmokers who typically exercised less than one hour a week
(the control group). The scientists found that in addition to having a slower resting heart rate — a
sign of cardiovascular fitness — as well as lower blood pressure,
lower body mass index and lower cholesterol than those in the control
group, the athletes also had longer telomeres.

Read more from HealthDay.

Read more about exercise and telomeres.