Can a certain type of exercise provide anti-aging benefits?

This study examined the effect of exercise intensity on senescence in skeletal muscle, using a randomized counter-balanced crossover design (Jean WH, et.al., 2023).

Senescence is the loss of a cell’s ability to divide and grow.

Biopsies of the vastus lateralis muscle of 9 sedentary men with an average age of 26 years were assessed before and after a single bout of moderate steady state exercise (60% of maximal aerobic power) and high intensity interval exercise (120% maximal aerobic power) performed on a stationary bike accumulating same amount of cycling work.

A certain breakdown of muscle fibers occurred immediately after the high intensity exercise but returned to the baseline 24 hours later.

Moderate steady state exercise did not produce that breakdown.

The researchers stated that a senescence-lowering effect of high intensity interval exercise was particularly prominent in the muscle with high pre-exercise p16INK4a expression. p16INK4a is a robust biomarker of senescence for stem cells.

This explains why the destructive nature of high intensity exercise produces anti-aging benefits.

High intensity interval exercise produces numerous benefits in a short period of time. Try it.

Reference

Wei-Horng Jean, Yu-Wen Hsieh, Li-Fan Lai, Luthfia Dewi, Yu-Chieh Liao, Mengxin Ye, Szu-Hsien Yu, Chung-Lan Kao, Chih-Yang Huang, Chia-Hua Kuo. Senolytic effect of high intensity interval exercise on human skeletal muscle. Aging (Albany NY). 2023 Feb 8;15(3):765-776.