Chromosomes Deteriorate Faster in Sedentary Elderly Women and Make them 8 Years older Than Their Age

Aging cells need physical activity that is why inactive elderly people get old faster by eight years more than active people in the same age level. In a study at University California, San Diego School of Medicine researchers report that women in their old age need more active lifestyle than they usually live as staying sedentary for more than 10 hours a day makes their cell grow in age more than active women.

Elderly women need 40 minutes moderate to vigorous physical activity every day to make their cell aging process slow. There are tiny caps at the end of DNA strands which are called telomere. These tiny caps protect chromosomes from declining but with age these gradually become short. Physical activity slows down the process of telomere deterioration.

The cells age and telomere become short and fray, apart from lifestyle and health factors like obesity or smoking, a lesser physical activity also accelerates the process of fraying. Shortened telomere leads to major cancers, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes etc. reports Relia Wire.

"Our study found cells age faster with a sedentary lifestyle. Chronological age doesn't always match biological age," said Aladdin Shadyab, Ph.D., lead author of the study with the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at UC San Diego School of Medicine. He also added that his research team is the pioneer to find out how the combination of sedentary time and activity can affect the aging biomarker.

Nearly 1,500 women from 64 to 95 years of age participated in the study and were given an accelerometer to wear on their right hip throughout seven days to track their movements while tey slept or walked, reports Science daily. More physically active women had longer telomere length, says Shadyab.

He also added that a habit of exercise must develop while the people are young and should continue as a regular habit when they grow older, even at 85 years old.   Shadyab expressed that future studies will focus on telomere length in the younger population and in men.