Exercise may help turn back the clock

A new study suggests that following the CDC guidelines for exercise can help shave 10 years off your biological age. Getting at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity at least five days per week or getting at least 20 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity at least three days a week is plenty to turn back the clock.

The details of this study were published in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. Researchers and examined close to 2,400 adult British twins who completed surveys about their physical activity, smoking, and health history.and also provided blood samples. The researchers then used the blood samples to measure the length of telomeres (chromosome tips) on the participants' white blood cells. Because telomeres shorten a bit each time a cell divides, this makes them a possible marker of aging.

The study shows that physically active people had longer telomeres than sedentary people, regardless of sex, age, smoking, body mass index (BMI), or socioeconomic status. The telomere length difference "suggests that inactive subjects may be biologically older by 10 years compared with more active subjects," the researchers write.

But not everyone is convinced that this study proves much of anything. Skeptics say that active and sedentary people are dissimilar in many ways, so the length of telomeres alone is not reason enough for this alleged health-age disparity.

My two cents? Regular exercise has been shown in more than enough studies to reduce the risk of chronic illness and a myriad of diseases. What's more, it increases physical strength and improves cardiovascular function. So, even if this biological age issue has nothing to do with telomeres, it still has everything to do with living a healthy lifestyle.