Exercise may be the most effective anti-aging intervention known to science. The beneficial effects of physical activity decline as you get older. The relationship between exercise and fitness remains poorly understood.
A paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences investigated the role of one cellular mechanism in improving physical fitness by exercise training and identified one anti-aging intervention that delayed the declines that occur with aging in the model organisms. The findings of the scientists open the way to new strategies for promoting muscle function.
The co-corresponding author said that exercise has been used to improve quality of life and to protect against disease. The data shows that an entry point for interventions to maintain muscle function during aging is identified by our data.
The cycle of repair and breakdown of the mitochondria is an essential mediator. The development and progression of chronic, age-related diseases, such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes, have been linked to the disruption ofMitochondrial dynamics.
"As we perceive that our muscles undergo a pattern of fatigue and restoration after an exercise session, they are undergoing this mitochondria dynamic cycle," said Blackwell. The muscles manage the aftermath of exercise and restore their function.
The role ofMitochondrial dynamics during exercise in the model organisms C. elegans was investigated by Blackwell and colleagues.
The investigators observed a decline in physical fitness over the 15 days the worms were alive. The scientists showed a shift in the way the aging animals' mitochondria are divided. On the first day of adulthood, they observed that a single bout of exercise would cause fatigue. A period of 24 hours was enough to restore both performance and mitochondria function after the 60-minute session.
The performance of older worms did not return to baseline in 24 hours. The network reorganization that occurred in the older animals was less than in the younger animals.
A single exercise session causes a cycle of fatigue and physical fitness recovery that is paralleled by the rebuilding of the mitochondria. There was a decline in physical fitness due to aging. Mitochondrial dynamics may be important for maintaining physical fitness and may be enhanced by a bout of exercise.
In a second set of experiments, the scientists allowed worms to swim for an hour a day for 10 days. The team found that the long-term training program significantly improved the animals' middle-aged fitness at day 10.
The researchers tested lifespan-extending interventions for their ability to improve exercise capacity during old age. Improved physical fitness could be achieved by worms with increasedAMPK, a molecule that is a key regulator of energy during exercise. Maintenance of exercise performance during aging was demonstrated by them. Reduced physical fitness as well as impairment of the recovery cycle can be seen in worms engineered to lackAMPK They didn't get the age-delaying benefits of exercise over time.
The goal of the aging field is to identify interventions that not only extend lifespan but also enhance health and quality of life. Aging humans are concerned about a decline in muscle function and exercise tolerance. Our data shows that there are potentially fruitful intervention points for preventing this decline. It will be of great interest to find out how the Mitochondrial network affects physical fitness and longevity in humans.
Exercise preserves physical fitness during aging through the use ofAMPK andMitochondrial dynamics. 10.1073/pnas.
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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