Stop the clocks: Brisk walking may slow biological aging process, study
shows

Date:
April 20, 2022
Source:
University of Leicester
Summary:
A new study of genetic data of more than 400,000 UK adults has
revealed a clear link between walking pace and a genetic marker
of biological age.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A new study of genetic data published today (Wednesday) of more than
400,000 UK adults has revealed a clear link between walking pace and a
genetic marker of biological age.


========================================================================== Confirming a causal link between walking pace and leucocyte telomere
length (LTL) -- an indicator of biological age -- the Leicester-based
team of researchers estimate that a lifetime of brisk walking could lead
to the equivalent of 16 years younger biological age by midlife.

Researchers from the University of Leicester at the National Institute
for Health Research (NIHR) Leicester Biomedical Research Centre studied
genetic data from 405,981 middle-aged UK Biobank participants and
found that a faster walking pace, independent of the amount of physical activity, was associated with longer telomere.

Telomeres are the 'caps' at the end of each chromosome, and hold
repetitive sequences of non-coding DNA that protect the chromosome from
damage, similar to the way the cap at the end of a shoelace stops it
from unravelling.

Each time a cell divides, these telomeres become shorter -- until a point
where they become so short that the cell can no longer divide, known as 'replicative senescence'. Therefore, scientists consider LTL a strong
marker for 'biological age', independent from when an individual was born.

Although the relationship between telomere length and disease is not
fully understood, the build-up of these senescent cells is believed
to contribute to a range of symptoms we associate with aging, such as
frailty and age-related diseases.



========================================================================== While the physical, mental, social and health benefits of walking are
well- documented, this study is one of the first of its kind to compare
genetic data with both self-reported walking speeds, as well as actual measurements of movement intensity from wearable activity tracking
devices worn by participants.

Dr Paddy Dempsey is a Lecturer and Research Fellow at the University
of Leicester and within the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre,
part of the University Hospitals of Leicester (UHL) NHS Trust, and
lead author on the study published in Communications Biology. He said: "Previous research on associations between walking pace, physical activity
and telomere length has been limited by inconsistent findings and a lack
of high- quality data.

"This research uses genetic data to provide stronger evidence for a causal
link between faster walking pace and longer telomere length. Data from wrist-worn wearable activity tracking devices used to measure habitual
physical activity also supported a stronger role of habitual activity
intensity (e.g. faster walking) in relation to telomere length.

"This suggests measures such as a habitually slower walking speed are
a simple way of identifying people at greater risk of chronic disease
or unhealthy ageing, and that activity intensity may play an important
role in optimising interventions. For example, in addition to increasing overall walking, those who are able could aim to increase the number
of steps completed in a given time (e.g. by walking faster to the bus
stop). However, this requires further investigation." Researchers from
the University of Leicester have previously shown using UK Biobank that
as little as 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is associated with longer
life expectancy, and that brisk walkers have up to 20 years' greater
life expectancy compared to slow walkers.



==========================================================================
This new study demonstrates a causal link between brisk walking and
telomere length and, significantly, not the other way round.

Tom Yates, senior author and Professor of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Health at the University of Leicester and NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre, added: "Whilst we have previously shown
that walking pace is a very strong predictor of health status, we have
not been able to confirm that adopting a brisk walking pace actually
causes better health. In this study we used information contained in
people's genetic profile to show that a faster walking pace is indeed
likely to lead to a younger biological age as measured by telomeres."
The study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council, Biotechnology
and Biological Sciences Research Council, British Heart Foundation, and supported by the NIHR Leicester BRC -- a partnership between Leicester's Hospitals, the University of Leicester and Loughborough University.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Leicester. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Paddy C. Dempsey, Crispin Musicha, Alex V. Rowlands, Melanie Davies,
Kamlesh Khunti, Cameron Razieh, Iain Timmins, Francesco
Zaccardi, Veryan Codd, Christopher P. Nelson, Tom Yates,
Nilesh J. Samani. Investigation of a UK biobank cohort
reveals causal associations of self-reported walking pace
with telomere length. Communications Biology, 2022; 5 (1) DOI:
10.1038/s42003-022-03323-x ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220420133538.htm

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