Eazzzing Back Into GAINZZZ

Well if you're like me you took some time off from GAINZZZ and now you're thinking maybe it's time to start getting some GAINZZZ again.

Interesting article on the life-extending benefits of exercise.

Mice that lifted lived longer.

For people who hate exercising, here comes some more bad news: it may also keep you younger. Not just looking younger, but actually younger, on an epigenetic level. By now, the benefits of exercise have been well established, including increased strength of bones and muscles, improved mobility and endurance, and lower risk of heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.

But younger?

A study recently published in Aging Cell, "Late-life exercise mitigates skeletal muscle epigenetic aging," suggests this could be the case. The paper was written by a team of seven researchers across three institutions, including Kevin Murach, an assistant professor in the Department of Health, Human Performance and Recreation at the U of A. Murach's grant from the National Institute of Health funded the study, and he was one of three co-first authors.

While the paper is dense with data, reflecting the use of several analytic tools, the experiment that generated the data was relatively straightforward. Lab mice nearing the end of their natural lifespan, at 22 months, were allowed access to a weighted exercise wheel. Generally, mice require no coercion to run and will do so voluntarily. Older mice will run anywhere from six to eight kilometers a day, mostly in spurts, while younger mice may run up to 10-12 kilometers. The weighted wheel ensured they built muscle. While there isn't a direct analog to most human exercise routines, Murach likened it to "a soldier carrying a heavy backpack many miles."

When the mice were studied after two months of progressive weighted wheel running, it was determined that they were the epigenetic age of mice eight weeks younger than sedentary mice of the same age--24 months. Murach noted that while the specific strain of mice and their housing conditions can impact lifespans, "historically, they start dropping off after 24 months at a significant rate." Needless to say, when your lifespan is measured in months, an extra eight weeks--roughly 10 percent of that lifespan--is a noteworthy gain.

Gain? Like in GAINZZZ?

The mechanism has to do with DNA methylation. Methyl groups attach themselves to our DNA as we age "like miniscule barnacles," and cause genes to not "turn on" and produce proteins as they used to.

As the body ages, there tends to be increased DNA methylation, or even hypermethylation, at promoter sites on genes in muscle. "DNA methylation changes in a lifespan tend to happen in a somewhat systematic fashion," Murach explained, "to the point you can look at someone's DNA from a given tissue sample and with a fair degree of accuracy predict their chronological age."

In the video below, a doctor talks with Andrew Huberman about methylation and its role in aging, which the doctor claims can and maybe should be thought of as a preventable disease. He suggests various ways to reduce methylation of DNA, including exercise and fasting.

So, now that the holidays are over -- do you have any GAINZZZ? Did you pack on too many ANTIGAINZZZ?

I actually didn't for a while, but then around Christmas, I had some real ANTIGAINZZZ I'm working on shedding right now. I'm not sure why, but I think going off intermittent fasting, and just eating soon after waking, and snacking soon before bed, was the major driver of weight gain for me. That and not exercising as much as I had been when it was warmer.

Are you planning on any GAINZZZ?

Also do recommend any BOOKZZZ or MOVIEZZZ or brag about any PLANZZZ or PROJECTZZZ.

posted by Ace at 06:32 PM

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