Yes, Resistance Training Can Reverse the Aging Process

January 21 2009 by admin.

The September 2008 issue of IDEA Fitness Journal included a fascinating report about the effects of resistance training on people’s DNA. (Resistance training simply uses weight- body weight, free weights, or tubing, bands or springs.) As we age, we naturally lose muscle mass, strength and function; this is called sarcopenia (sar-co-PEEN-ee-ah). There are many possible reasons for this, and researchers “Melov and colleagues (2007) investigated whether resistance training actually affects some of the gene expressions associated with muscle aging, thus reversing the aging process.” Here’s the breakdown of the study:

-All subjects were nonsmokers

The 25 older subjects (around 68 years old) self-reported a very active lifestyle- walking, gardening, tennis or cycling 3 or more times per week

-The 26 younger subjects (around 24 years old) self-reported only modest recreational activity

-“The researchers deliberately chose a relatively active older population and a relatively sedentary younger population because they felt it would help them look at the effects of aging, rather than simple inactivity, if both groups were fairly well matched in terms of how active they were.”

-The study was 26 weeks long, and each participant exercised with supervision, using 12 resistance exercises, twice a week

-They began with 1 set of each exercise at half of their 1-repetition-maximum (1RM); they increased to 3 sets at 80% of their 1RM over the 26 weeks; and they retested their 1RM every 2 weeks to adjust their training loads

-They were also tested for strength in an isometric knee extension (holding the leg straight out from the knee) at the beginning and end of the study

-A piece of their thigh muscle was biopsied before and after to analyze their genes, and to compare differences between the subjects. The researchers were looking for specific genes that were unusually different in the older subjects, due to age

Results:

The researched found 596 genes that were unusually different. After the 26-week study, 179 of these showed a reversal of their expression- the genes weren’t as different as they were in the beginning of the study. It’s important to understand that all cells have DNA, and it gets copied as the cells reproduce. This means that the newer cells (made during the training) didn’t look or act as old as the older cells had (before the training). The researchers also found that the impaired energy-producing ability of the cells, due to inactivity, was reversing in response to the training.

The body’s cells were acting younger and more efficiently as the subjects exercised. This is a great reason to try a FREE Intro class at IM=X Pilates Blue Bell, or to get out of bed in time for that weekend class you’ve got scheduled! Read about the FREE Intro Session

Posted in Fitness, Article | Print | No Comments »