Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 15, 2026
09:49
Endurance Training Protocol and Longitudinal Performance Assays for Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: March 26, 2012
Telomere length and long-term endurance exercise: does exercise training affect biological age? A pilot study.
Ida Beate Ø Østhus1, Antonella Sgura, Francesco Berardinelli
1K. G. Jebsen Center of Exercise in Medicine at Department of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway.
Plos One
|January 10, 2013
Summary
Endurance exercise training may protect muscle telomere length in older adults. Higher aerobic capacity (VO2max) is linked to longer telomeres, suggesting exercise benefits cellular aging.
Area of Science:
- Exercise physiology
- Cellular biology
- Gerontology
Background:
- Telomeres are key indicators of cellular age and are linked to physical aging.
- While exercise capacity (VO2max) and endurance training are associated with longevity, their direct impact on telomere length remains debated.
- Existing research shows inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between telomere length, exercise training, and VO2max.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between muscle telomere length and endurance exercise training.
- To determine the relationship between muscle telomere length and aerobic exercise capacity (VO2max).
- To compare these associations in younger and older adults.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 20 men, divided into young (22-27 years) and old (66-77 years) groups.
- Participants were categorized as endurance athletes or having medium activity levels.
- Muscle telomere length was quantified using the telomere/single copy gene ratio (T/S-ratio) via qPCR, and VO2max was measured through treadmill testing.
Main Results:
- Older endurance athletes exhibited significantly longer telomere length (T/S ratio) compared to older individuals with medium activity levels (p=0.04).
- No significant difference in telomere length was observed between young endurance athletes and young non-athletes (p=0.12).
- A strong positive correlation was found between VO2max and telomere length across all participants (r=0.70, p=0.001), particularly evident in endurance-trained athletes (r=0.78, p=0.02).
Conclusions:
- VO2max demonstrates a significant positive association with muscle telomere length.
- Long-term endurance exercise training appears to offer a protective effect on muscle telomere length, especially in older individuals.
- These findings suggest exercise may play a role in mitigating cellular aging processes related to telomere shortening.
Related Concept Videos
02:20Longitudinal Research
Sometimes we want to see how people change over time, as in studies of human development and lifespan. When we test the same group of individuals repeatedly over an extended period of time, we are conducting longitudinal research. Longitudinal research is a research design in which data-gathering is administered repeatedly over an extended period of time. For example, we may survey a group of individuals about their dietary habits at age 20, retest them a decade later at age 30, and then again...
01:27Exercise and Muscle Performance
Exercise induces a range of adaptations in muscle tissue, depending on the type and duration of activity. Such physical training can be broadly categorized into two types: endurance exercises and resistance exercises.
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
Endurance exercises
Endurance exercises involve running, swimming, or cycling, which require repetitive movements with low force output. When a person engages in endurance exercise, a few noticeable changes occur in their skeletal muscles. For instance, the number of capillaries...
01:29Replication in Eukaryotes
In eukaryotic cells, DNA replication is highly conserved and tightly regulated. Multiple linear chromosomes must be duplicated with high fidelity before cell division, so there are many proteins that fulfill specialized roles in the replication process. Replication occurs in three phases: initiation, elongation, and termination, and ends with two complete sets of chromosomes in the nucleus.
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...
Many Proteins Orchestrate Replication at the Origin
Eukaryotic replication follows many of the same...
02:41Telomeres and Telomerase
In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded DNA.
02:41Telomeres and Telomerase
In eukaryotic DNA replication, a single-stranded DNA fragment remains at the end of a chromosome after the removal of the final primer. This section of DNA cannot be replicated in the same manner as the rest of the strand because there is no 3’ end to which the newly synthesized DNA can attach. This non-replicated fragment results in gradual loss of the chromosomal DNA during each cell duplication. Additionally, it can induce a DNA damage response by enzymes that recognize single-stranded DNA.
02:15Replicative Cell Senescence
Replicative cell senescence is a property of cells that allows them to divide a finite number of times throughout the organism's lifespan while preventing excessive proliferation. Replicative senescence is associated with the gradual loss of the telomere — short, repetitive DNA sequences found at the end of the chromosomes. Telomeres are bound by a group of proteins to form a protective cap on the ends of chromosomes. Embryonic stem cells express telomerase — an enzyme that adds the telomeric...