Two studies revealed the good (and the bad) news. Three hours of vigorous exercise a week can make you up to nine years younger. A few bad habits can make you up to 12 years older.
The extreme: An out of shape 40 year old smoker with bad nutrition who likes to drink (a tad too much) is likely to have the lifespan of a 52 year old. While the fitness going nutrition happy 40 year old can have the genes of a 31 year old. The difference: a whopping 21 years.
How they stayed young:
A study of 2,400 British twins measured the difference in aging. The study examined the structure of telomeres, the region of repetitive DNA at the end of a chromosome. When a cell splits, telomeres shorten. When they are too short, the cell can no longer divide, and the cells reach the end of their life and die – and aging begins. The study found that the length of the telomeres was directly linked to activity levels. Those who did a moderate amount of exercise, about 100 minutes a week, had telomeres of a person approximately five or six years younger. Those who did about three hours of moderate to vigorous exercise had telomeres of those up to nine years younger.
How they got old:
Another British study of approximately 5000 adults took four bad habits. Smoking, unhealthy nutrition, inactivity, and too much drinking (three alcoholic drinks a day for men and two for women). The study concluded, using death certificates over the course of 20 years, that a person with all four bad habits may have a lifespan of 12 years less compared to a person without these habits.
While a healthy lifestyle doesn’t guarantee you’ll live longer, it sure improves the odds.
Sources:
April 26 2010 Archive of Internal Medecine
Washington Post Online, Jan 29th 2008 “Exercise Could Slow Aging Of Body, Study Suggests“
