Cycling slows down aging and strengthens the immune system

How does regular cycling affect your health??

Exercise and exercise are healthy for the human body. Even short walks and cycling contribute to the protection against diseases. Researchers have now found that cycling can even counteract the effects of aging and rejuvenate the immune system.

Researchers at the University of Birmingham and King's College London found that physical activity reduces the effects of aging and rejuvenates the immune system. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Aging Cell".

Cycling is healthy and helps us lose weight. Researchers now find that regular cycling also appears to protect against physical aging. (Image: Monkey Business / fotolia.com)

How do sports and exercise affect aging??

In their study, the experts examined the health of older adults who were physically active for most of their lives. So they wanted to determine whether exercise and exercise can slow down the aging. So-called physical inactivity is considered a risk factor for some common diseases.

Experts routinely examined cycling people

A total of 125 cyclists aged 55 to 79 were recruited for the study. Of these participants, 84 were male and 41 female. The men had to cycle 100 km in less than 6.5 hours, while the women had to drive 60 km in 5.5 hours. Smokers, heavy drinkers and people with high blood pressure or other disorders were excluded from the study.

Participants had to take part in tests in the laboratory

Participants underwent a series of laboratory tests and were compared to a group of adults who were not physically active on a regular basis. This group consisted of 75 healthy individuals aged 57 to 80 years and 55 healthy young adults between the ages of 20 and 36 years.

Which results could be determined?

The study found that regular exercise did not result in loss of muscle mass and strength. For cyclists, the body fat or cholesterol levels did not increase with age and the testosterone levels of the men blied increased. In addition, the study found that the benefits of exercise go beyond the muscle because the cyclists had an immune system that did not seem to have aged.

Cyclists also produced many T cells in old age

An organ called thymus, which produces immune cells called T cells, begins to shrink from the age of twenty and then produces fewer T cells. However, the older cyclists' glands in the study continued to produce as many cells as those of a young person.

Exercise is the best medicine

The results show how big the impact of exercise on health is. Less than half of the over-65s are physically active enough. More than half of people over the age of 65 suffer from at least two illnesses. Hippocrates said back then that exercise is the best medicine for humans, but its message has been lost over time, and today we are an increasingly settled society, according to Professor Janet Lord of the University of Birmingham.

Health in old age does not necessarily have to be weakened automatically

Another important finding of the study is that aging does not automatically weaken people. The current research found strong evidence that regular exercise throughout life is a viable solution to the problem that people today live longer but usually develop many physical illnesses. Hopefully, the results will help society no longer consider diseases as a normal part of life in old age. Niharika Arora Duggal from the University of Birmingham.

Regular cycling helps the body age optimally

Regular cycling allows the body to age optimally, free from the problems normally caused by inactivity. Without such activity, the health of those affected would likely worsen, says Professor Stephen Harridge of King's College London.

Find a suitable exercise for you

People train more when they enjoy it. Almost anyone can participate in an exercise that matches their own physiological abilities. Find an exercise that you can enjoy in any environment that suits you and make a habit of it. You will reap the reward later in life by enjoying an independent and productive age, explains Professor Norman Lazarus of King's College London.

Where are the results to be seen?

The research results were published in two separate articles in the journal "Aging Cell". They are the result of an ongoing joint study between the two universities. Both articles are available online. The first article is entitled "Properties of the vastus lateralis muscle in relation to age and physiological function in master cyclists aged 55-79 years". The second article was published under the title "Major features of immune sensescence, including thymic atrophy, are ameliorated by high levels of physical activity in adulthood". (As)