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want to slow down aging? move your body more, study says

the new study shows that exercise may be able to slow down the aging process in the brain regardless of whether you start at 20 or 50.

by angelica bottaro

jun 12 2024
read time 3 minute read
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new research shows that if you want to slow down aging, you will have to get moving. getty images

a new study looking into the effects exercise has on age-associated cognitive decline has found that regular exercise may be able to ward off aging better than those who live sedentary lifestyles.

the study, published in the journal aging cell , used two groups of mice to obtain the data. one group was young mice aged three months, and the other was older mice aged 18 months. the groups were then divided, with half of the older mice having access to a running wheel and the other half without.

by looking at various effects the exercise had on the brains of the mice in the active group, they deduced that movement could help slow the aging process in terms of cognitive decline driven by aging-induced inflammation.

aging and the brain

over the course of the natural aging process, the brain goes through various changes. areas of the brain that play a role in learning and complex mental activities begin to shrink, neuronal communication is less effective, and inflammation begins to ramp up.

when it comes to the size of the brain, research has shown that the shrinking of specific brain areas, leading to a reduced volume and weight, begins to happen around age 40 and continues at a rate of five per cent every decade after that.

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neural communication, which is how brain cells communicate with one another, also begins to decline as you age because the brain does not produce the same amount of chemicals required for this process to run smoothly.

chronic low-grade inflammation also occurs during the aging process, often referred to as inflammaging . inflammation is an inflammatory process, and in the brain, that process is controlled by brain-specific immune cells known as microglia. these cells begin to slowly die off as a person ages, leading to more inflammatory signals being released and higher levels of inflammation in the brain.

these changes drive the typical mental changes that older adults experience, even if they are otherwise healthy.

the study results

the researchers working on the latest study utilized single-cell rna sequencing to analyze cellular activity in the brains of the mice who exercised as well as those who didn’t. this technique looks at how genes in encoded dna switch on and off when met with an outside factor, such as exercise.
in the case of this study, rna sequencing allowed researchers to establish a more detailed look at the cellular activity that takes place in the area of the brain responsible for many cognitive functions, the hippocampus.
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canadian society for exercise physiology

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the results showed that the microglia, which are vital for maintaining brain health, are directly affected by exercise or a lack thereof. the aged mice that did not exercise experienced harmful gene expression that drove higher levels of inflammation, causing damage to brain cells.
on the other hand, the aged mice that took part in the exercise experienced gene expression that was similar to the young mice group, showing that regular exercise can effectively reverse and restore gene expression to halt the aging process in the microglia.
another type of immune cell used as a data point in the study was t-cells. these cells are found in low numbers in the brain when a person is healthy and young. however, as a person ages, these cells may accumulate in the brain. when that happens, it can set off inflammation even further, leading to increased cognitive decline.
the exercise group was found to have a reduction in the number of t cells found in the brain, as well as other organs such as the liver. this confirmed that not only does exercise help reduce aging in the brain, but it can also be a systemically beneficial activity to keep the brain and the body young.
other brain cells were also positively affected by exercise in the study, showing that it’s not just one area of cognition and brain health that can benefit from more cardio, but many.

using exercise to combat age-related changes

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while it’s generally well-known that exercise is good for overall health, these new results looking into the connection between aging and exercise have given a new, more formidable reason to lace up those runners to slow down the changes that occur during the aging process, keeping the brain healthier for longer.
the ages of the mice in the study are also a vital piece of the puzzle because even if you’re no longer 20, getting more exercise is beneficial, full stop. you could start exercising at 30 or 50 and still reap the benefits of these brain changes.
this study further demonstrates just how important it is to get up off the couch and get moving—especially if you want to keep father time at bay for as long as possible.
angelica bottaro
angelica bottaro

angelica bottaro is the lead editor at healthing.ca, and has been content writing for over a decade, specializing in all things health. her goal as a health journalist is to bring awareness and information to people that they can use as an additional tool toward their own optimal health.

read more about the author

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