Now you know something like this was going to peak our interest! On MedicalNewsToday.com, an article review appeared stating that “Running for exercise ‘slows the aging process’. This is the kind of article that makes you get very excited. The review states that “The new study from researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and Humboldt State University, published in the journal PLOS ONE, finds that senior citizens who run several times a week expend the same amount of energy as a typical 20-year-old when walking.” The study was quite small and only had a population size of 30 (15 females and 15 males), but was done relatively well. The small sample size however means that this study truly needs to be reproduced on a larger scale before it can be considered to provide us with strong evidence. We highly encourage you to read the original review written by David McNamee below!
The review itself can be found at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/285917.php
The review also stated the following, partially taken from the study:
“The team found that older adults who regularly participate in highly aerobic activities such as running have “a lower metabolic cost of walking” than older, sedentary adults and seniors who regularly walk for exercise.
The researchers explain that it was surprising to find that older adults who regularly run for exercise are better walkers than older adults who regularly walk for exercise.
The take-home message of the study, the authors say, is that constantly running for exercise “slows down the aging process,” allowing older people to move more easily and improving their quality of life.”
Next, the team will investigate a hypothesis that the “powerhouses” inside individual cells – mitochondria – are implicated in this enhanced walking ability. People who work out regularly tend to have more mitochondria in their cells, in order to provide the energy necessary for powering larger muscles.
Back in July, Medical News Today reported on a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, which found that running at a slow speed for just 5-10 minutes a day can significantly increase life expectancy.
The review article stated above was written by David McNamee for MedicalNewsToday.com
The review itself can be found at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/285917.php
The study itself can be found at:
Running for exercise mitigates age-related deterioration of walking economy, Justus D. Ortega, PLOS ONE, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0113471, published 20 November 2014.