40歲以后的鍛煉可能是最重要的

40歲以后的鍛煉可能是最重要的

We've been taught that exercise at any age is a key element of good health and longevity, but recent research has zoomed in on a time period in your life when it may the most important of all.

我們一直被教導(dǎo)說(shuō)，任何年齡段的鍛煉都是保持健康和長(zhǎng)壽的關(guān)鍵因素，但最近的一項(xiàng)研究將注意力集中在了你生命中可能最重要的一段時(shí)期。

Exercising after you've turned 40 may keep telomeres from becoming too short and fraying, a condition researchers have linked to more health problems and shortened lifespans. (Photo: Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock)

A massive survey of more than 315,000 participants conducted in 2019 shows that people who didn't start exercising on a regular basis until they were in their 40s (or even 50s) still reap the benefits compared to people who have been working out most of their lives.

2019年，一項(xiàng)針對(duì)31.5萬(wàn)多名參與者的大規(guī)模調(diào)查顯示，那些直到40多歲(甚至50多歲)才開始定期鍛煉的人，與那些一生中大部分時(shí)間都在鍛煉的人相比，仍然能從中受益。

Another more recent study links higher level of physical activity at any intensity, along with less time spend being sedentary, with a lower risk of early death in middle age and older adults. The study, published in the medical journal BMJ, used wearable devices called accelerometers to track physical activity. Researchers followed 36 383 adults in the U.S. and Western Europe who were at least 40 years old with an average age of 62. The risk of early death was nearly five times higher for those who were inactive compared to those who were the most active.

另一項(xiàng)最近的研究表明，任何強(qiáng)度的體育活動(dòng)水平越高，久坐的時(shí)間越少，中年人和老年人早逝的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)就越低。這項(xiàng)發(fā)表在《英國(guó)醫(yī)學(xué)雜志》(BMJ)上的研究使用了一種名為加速計(jì)的可穿戴設(shè)備來(lái)跟蹤身體活動(dòng)。研究人員對(duì)美國(guó)和西歐的36383名成年人進(jìn)行了跟蹤調(diào)查，這些人至少40歲，平均年齡62歲。與那些最活躍的人相比，不活動(dòng)的人早死的風(fēng)險(xiǎn)幾乎高出5倍。

Longer telomeres, longer life

端粒越長(zhǎng)，壽命越長(zhǎng)

Telomeres are caps at the ends of strands of DNA that are linked to longevity. (Photo: vitstudio/Shutterstock)

Researchers from the University of Mississippi and the University of California, San Francisco looked at telomere data — those are the caps at the end of DNA strands that are linked to longevity — from 6,500 adults based on a national survey. They found that exercise prevented telomere shrinkage and prolonged life in those ages 40 to 65.

密西西比大學(xué)和加州大學(xué)舊金山分校的研究人員基于一項(xiàng)全國(guó)性調(diào)查，對(duì)6500名成年人的端粒數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行了研究。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，在40歲至65歲之間，運(yùn)動(dòng)可以防止端粒收縮，延長(zhǎng)壽命。

In fact, the more exercise this group did — walking, cycling, weight lifting and the like — the less their telomeres, and their life spans, shrunk.

事實(shí)上，這組人做的運(yùn)動(dòng)越多——散步、騎車、舉重等等——他們的端粒和壽命就越短。

It's unclear whether exercise directly prevents telomeres from shrinking, but researchers have established a strong tie between working out and the genetic markers thought to correspond with life span.

目前還不清楚鍛煉是否能直接阻止端粒的萎縮，但研究人員已經(jīng)在鍛煉和被認(rèn)為與壽命相對(duì)應(yīng)的基因標(biāo)記之間建立了強(qiáng)有力的聯(lián)系。

Keeping the immune system young

保持免疫系統(tǒng)年輕

In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers from the University of Birmingham and King's College London found that older adults (ages 55 to 79) with years of regular exercise apparently age more slowly than healthy adults who don't exercise regularly.

伯明翰大學(xué)(University of Birmingham)和倫敦國(guó)王學(xué)院(King's College London)的研究人員在發(fā)表于《衰老細(xì)胞》(Aging Cell)雜志上的一項(xiàng)研究中發(fā)現(xiàn)，有多年定期鍛煉的老年人(55歲至79歲)的衰老速度明顯慢于不定期鍛煉的健康成年人。

"We hope these findings prevent the danger that, as a society, we accept that old age and disease are normal bedfellows and that the third age of man is something to be endured and not enjoyed," says study co-author and University of Birmingham researcher Niharika Arora Duggal.

伯明翰大學(xué)研究員、該研究的共同作者Niharika Arora Duggal說(shuō):“作為一個(gè)社會(huì)，我們接受老年和疾病是正常的同床共命運(yùn)者，人類的第三個(gè)年齡是可以忍受的，而不是可以享受的，我們希望這些發(fā)現(xiàn)能夠防止這種危險(xiǎn)。”

It's time to put on your workout gear and get moving.

是時(shí)候穿上你的健身裝備開始行動(dòng)了。