4 Ways Exercise Helps Fight Aging

Everyone knows that exercise is good for you. But it’s not just beneficial for the young, healthy and already fit. It’s also one of the best defenses against the toughest aspects of aging.

Exercise not only improves heart and lung health, but research shows that even modest physical activity is good for the brain, bones, muscles and mood. Numerous studies have found that lifelong exercise may keep people healthier for longer; delay the onset of 40 chronic conditions or diseases; stave off cognitive decline; reduce the risk of falls; alleviate depression, stress and anxiety; and may even help people live longer.

“Exercise is the best defense and repair strategy that we have to counter different drivers of aging,” says aging researcher Nathan LeBrasseur, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. It can’t reverse aging, per se, he cautions, but “there’s clear evidence that exercise can activate the machinery necessary for DNA repair.”

Of course, the sooner you begin and the longer you remain physically active, the better. But physical activity is important at every age. Research on the effects of exercise on nursing-home residents found improvements in their physical and cognitive abilities as well as on their mental health.

Something else to keep in mind, says LeBrasseur, is that while your risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer or other conditions of aging may not substantially increase until middle age or later, the underlying biology for those conditions is in motion early in life. Genetics and the lifestyle factors you choose will determine that trajectory, but these can influence your likelihood for disease at any point. “So, there’s no such thing as too little, too late.”

The good news is that you don’t have to run a marathon or go to the gym to reap the anti-aging benefits of exercise. Even modest physical activity—taking the stairs instead of the elevator, gardening or walking the dog—has physical and cognitive benefits, as long as you do it regularly. Here are just some of the ways research shows regular activity benefits your health.

It builds muscle strength

As people age, they lose muscle mass and strength, a condition known as sarcopenia. Scientists say resistance training is one of the best ways to help slow that decline. It not only maintains muscle strength and power (what you’ll need while opening a jar or pushing a heavy door), but it makes everyday activities like cooking, cleaning and climbing stairs less difficult. It can also help reduce susceptibility to disease, improve brain health and mood and help you maintain independence longer. Researchers at the University of Alabama found that resistance training is safe and effective for older adults, with rates of injuries extremely low and similar across all ages and intensities.

It improves bone density

To keep bones strong, the body breaks down old bone and replaces it with new bone tissue—but around age 30, bone mass stops increasing. In your 40s and 50s, you slowly start losing more bone than you make. Exercise can help increase bone density when you’re younger and stave off osteoporosis, a disease that weakens bone and increases the risk of breaks as you age.

Almost half of all adults 50 and older are at risk of breaking a bone due to osteoporosis, which costs the health system $19 billion annually, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. But that doesn’t mean that older people are powerless; doing weight-bearing exercise throughout life helps increase bone mass and strength.

Since osteoporosis affects women more often than men, activities like walking or aerobics are especially important after menopause. While older people can’t gain more bone mass, physical activity can help prevent bone loss. Lower impact activities like cycling, yoga and swimming aren’t enough to affect bone loss, but when combined with weight-bearing exercises, they can help improve balance and reduce risk of falls and fractures.

Exercise can lengthen telomeres

Telomeres are the caps on the ends of DNA strands, similar to the caps on shoelaces. Their length decreases with aging, and this contributes to cell senescence, meaning the cells can no longer divide. Telomere length is connected to certain chronic conditions, especially high blood pressure, stroke and heart disease. Several studies have found that higher levels of physical activity are related to longer telomere lengths in some people, compared to those who are sedentary. This seems to be especially true in older people. However, it’s still not clear whether that relationship is causal, and it’s likely that multiple processes affect telomere length. But in general, longer telomeres are believed to be a plus for reducing risk of age-related diseases.

It can improve cognition

Your ability to shift quickly between tasks, plan an activity and ignore irrelevant information are all signs of good cognitive function, according to the National Institute on Aging. Physical activity is now seen as one of the most promising methods for improving cognition throughout life and reducing risk of age-related cognitive decline. While researchers can’t yet say for sure that exercise can actually prevent dementia, studies show that more physical activity is linked to reduced risk of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.

As scientists continue to research the effects of exercise, they’re finding all kinds of exciting benefits, says Steven Austad, senior scientific director at the American Federation for Aging Research and chair in the department of biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. For example, “exercising muscle produces myokines, which are small molecules that have all kinds of benefits in your brain,” he says. ”It’s also one way to really improve the quality of your sleep, and we know that the quality of your sleep is related to the quality of your health.”

There’s still a lot we don’t know about how exercise affects the aging process, but what we do know is this: moving your body regularly—five times per week, for at least 30 minutes daily—is better than moving less often. Exercise is cumulative; you don’t have to do it all at once (and of course, check with your health provider before starting any new activity). And a combination of aerobic and resistance exercises seems to provide the most benefits for most people.

Best of all, it’s never too late to start.

 

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Children who are fit during childhood have better functioning lungs in adulthood

Turns out, children who are fit during childhood and adolescence have better functioning lungs in adulthood. A new study has revealed that fitness in childhood is linked to healthy lungs in adulthood. Good lung function in early adult life is believed to lower the risk of developing chronic lung disease later in life. Chronic lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), are a leading cause of global ill health. Notably, with an ageing population, this is projected to get worse. The new study provided early evidence that keeping children fit could help reduce the burden of lung disease in the future.


The researcher explained, “We know very little about the links between physical activity, fitness, and lung growth. This is a difficult topic to research because following children over many years is expensive and time-consuming”. “This study shows that children who are physically fit go on to have better lung function as young adults. We think that this could reduce the risk of them developing chronic lung diseases as they get older,” he continued. The research was conducted on a total of 2,406 children, combining a study of 1,037 children in one country, and the second group of 1,369 in another country. The Study used a cycling test at ages 15, 26, 32, and 38 to estimate fitness from the heart rate response to exercise. In the group, aerobic fitness was tested at ages 9, 15, 21, and 29 using an exercise bike to see how much work-out each person could do before they were exhausted. Lung function tests were done at the same ages in both the studies. The link between lung function and fitness remained after the researchers took account of factors such as height, weight, asthma, and smoking. The results also showed a stronger effect in boys than girls. The Professor explained, “We don’t know why fitness and lung function are linked but one explanation could be that fitter people have better respiratory muscle strength as well as other muscle strength”. The two studies are ongoing and researchers hope to collect data on fitness and lung function as the participants get older. This will allow them to see if the effect of childhood fitness on lung function persists and whether fitness can indeed protect against lung disease. 

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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Brain surgery with local anaesthesia gives teen new life

 Ever heard of a brain surgery where the patient has not been put under the effect of general anaesthesia. It may sound ridiculous or frightening, but this is exactly what 18-year-old went through. Medicos refer to the process as 'awake craniotomy' where the patient is given local anaesthesia to reduce post-operative complications. 

The wondrous feat was performed by DrAmitabh Chanda, a neurosurgeon at the Fortis Hospital. The teenager suffered a seizure in July 2011 and was immediately put under a neurophysician's medication. Despite being put on the medication, Moubani continued to get the fits. After a series of clinical tests and a CT scan, the girl was diagnosed with a tumour on the right side of the brain. Later, a functional MRI and other tests revealed that the tumour was exactly on the motor area of the brain. 

With her board examinations just round the corner, it was the end of the world for the resident of Palashi. But Chanda did not lose hope. He decided to perform 'awake craniotomy' on Moubani. He also sought the help of neuronavigation (a set of computer-assisted technologies used by neurosurgeons to navigate within the skull or the vertebral column during surgery) for precision. 

"I realised that if the surgery was done in the conventional manner, she would become paralytic on the right side. Awake craniotomy is done rarely as all patients aren't cooperative enough and the patient's cooperation along with great coordination between the anaesthesia team and surgeons are of utmost importance for such surgeries. Moreover, female patients become emotionally unstable after such surgeries as their head is shaved off, so I ensured that I make a minimum cut," said Chanda.

Though this operation is similar to a conventional craniotomy, the only difference is the patient stays awake throughout the procedure. This method is preferred by doctors to remove lesions involving functionally important regions of the brain like areas responsible for speech and movement. It helps surgeons to test regions of the brain before they are incised or removed and patient's functions continuously throughout the operation which helps to minimize the risks of such operations.

It was finally on February 8 that the girl was operated upon. "I was given local anesthesia and sedated for the surgery so that she could interact with me throughout the procedure," added Chanda. This reduces the chances of post-operative paralysis and other complications.

"I will remain forever grateful to the team of doctors who operated upon me. Before my operation I consulted many doctors who warned me of becoming paralysed on the right side and loss of speech. But I had complete faith in my doctor who has given me a new life," said a happy teenager.

Fruits for breakfast keeps you fit

Eat fruits for breakfast. Eating fruit helps your body to take in antioxidants that may help to lessen the effects of free radicals inside the body. Free radicals are chemical compounds that come from pollution and even the air around us. Having fruits detoxifies the body and keeps one energised and fresh.