Physical education against aging
Scientists have explained why older people need sports
Olga Ivanova, Naked Science
The mechanisms by which physical activity slows down aging and delays death have been documented. However, scientists still do not fully know why physical exercise throughout life, especially in middle and older age, promotes health.
The epidemic of inactivity, which has been increasing recently, accelerates the spread of non-communicable diseases among the aging population. And studying this issue can contribute to understanding how to maintain health. It remains unclear why, in youth, the processes that maintain lower blood pressure and reduce systemic inflammation work in the body by themselves, and at a more mature age, physical activity is required for this.
It can reduce the risk of diseases such as cardiovascular, type II diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and some types of cancer pathology. Studies show that 150 minutes of moderate-intensity outdoor exercise per week reduces the likelihood of death from all causes in an adult who does not lead a sedentary lifestyle.
Scientists from Harvard University (USA) used an evolutionary approach to explain this phenomenon and published their study in the journal PNAS (Lieberman et al., The active grandparent hypothesis: Physical activity and the evolution of extended human healthspans and lifespans). Contrary to the established opinion, the authors of the work believe that people began to live to old age 40 thousand years ago.
This is due to the fact that the older generation is probably important for evolution in the sense that it can pass on useful experience, help children and grandchildren acquire skills important for survival. And not only in word, but also in deed: elderly people of past generations probably kept their spirits and bodies up to a very old age in order to take care of themselves and loved ones. After analyzing the evolutionary changes in human ancestors, scientists came to the conclusion that people are programmed to be physically active in old age.
Up to the last 200 years, the activity maintained in old age did not allow excess fat deposits to accumulate and contributed to the renewal of cells and tissues, as well as the development of anti-inflammatory substances. But nowadays, elderly people often lead a sedentary lifestyle, which affects their well-being and is associated with the risk of developing many diseases. Therefore, it is vital for them to literally repeat the experience of their ancestors — to be physically active.
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