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Unlocking the fountain of youth?

Posted May 23, 2007 at 07:00 PM by Bridget Sullivan

Section: Her Fitness, Her Health, Her News

Tell me if this rings a bell: you know some of the benefits of strength training; hence, you keep telling yourself that you are going to “hit the weights” and sculpt your muscles. But then weeks go by . . . and months. You haven’t lifted a single weight.

Some women avoid strength training because they are afraid of adding bulk to their frames while others shy away because they simply don’t know how to strength train correctly. Whatever your reasons for avoiding the iron, it’s time to face your fears and get pumping. Strength training just might be the key to unlocking the fountain of youth.

A new study published in the online journal PLoS One gives all of us – especially those of us “over the hill” - one more reason to strength train: strength training potentially reverses muscle aging.

Researchers analyzed small samples of muscle tissue from healthy young and older adults to determine their “gene expression profiles.” They discovered a significant difference in the gene expression profiles of each group, and they attributed this stark difference to an impaired functioning of mitochondria in older adult muscle tissue.

However, the study, led by Dr. Simon Melov of the Buck Institute for Age Research in Novato, California, suggests that strength training can reverse this impairment. The study tracked 25 men and women older than 65, 14 of whom endured 6 months of strength training exercises. The group that underwent a strength-training program altered their gene expression profiles and boasted younger looking muscles by the end of the six months.

“In a very real sense,” says Melov, “the muscle was younger.”

While more studies need to be done to examine the link between reversing muscle aging and strength training, the initial findings from Melov’s study are promising.

Bottom line: it’s never too late to hit the gym and get fit!

Sources:
Norton, Amy. “Strength training may reverse muscle aging.” Reuters Health
Simon, Melov1, Mark A. Tarnopolsky, Kenneth Beckman, Krysta Felkey, Alan Hubbard. ”Resistance Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle.” PLoS One.