Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 26, 2026

Improving Strength, Power, Muscle Aerobic Capacity, and Glucose Tolerance through Short-term Progressive Strength Training Among Elderly People
Published on: July 5, 2017
How fast do we age? Exercise performance over time as a biomarker
1Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina Medical Center, Chapel Hill, USA.
Masters athletes show a consistent 0.5% annual decline in performance, suggesting a basic biomarker for human aging. This rate reflects true chronologic functional change, unaffected by illness.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Exercise Physiology
- Biomarkers of Aging
Background:
- True aging rates in humans are obscured by data from unhealthy individuals.
- Masters athletes provide a suitable cohort for studying age-related functional decline.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the rate of age-related performance decline in humans.
- To identify a potential biomarker for the aging process.
Main Methods:
- Collected performance data from running, rowing, and swimming events across different age groups.
- Plotted performance decline as a percentage from age 35 to establish age-related decay slopes.
Main Results:
- Observed a consistent decline rate of 0.5% per year across diverse athletic events.
- The decay slopes for different strenuous activities showed remarkable similarity.
Conclusions:
- The 0.5% annual performance decline may serve as a fundamental biomarker of human aging.
- This rate is consistent across various physiological systems and validated by measures like VO2 max.
More Related Videos
08:30Intraperitoneal Glucose Tolerance Test, Measurement of Lung Function, and Fixation of the Lung to Study the Impact of Obesity and Impaired Metabolism on Pulmonary Outcomes
Published on: March 15, 2018
08:12Measurement of Mitochondrial Respiration in Human and Mouse Skeletal Muscle Fibers by High-Resolution Respirometry
Published on: October 4, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Exercise and Muscle Performance
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...
Exercise and Cardiovascular Response
Light to moderate physical activity initiates a series of interconnected responses in the body. The heart rate modestly increases in anticipation of the workout, followed by widespread vasodilation as oxygen consumption by skeletal muscles increases. This results in decreased peripheral resistance, increased capillary blood flow, and accelerated...
Metabolic States of the Body: The Postabsorptive State
Initially, glycogen stored in the liver is broken down to release glucose into the bloodstream, while glycogen in the muscles is broken down to supply glucose for energy directly within the muscle cells. As glycogen stores diminish,...
Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation
Pharmacokinetics in Geriatric Patients: Effect of Age on Drug Excretion
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age