Can Exercise Combat Aging?

While it is a well-known maxim that eating healthily and taking part in physical activities are two of the best ways to maintain health, is it possible that sustaining a regular exercise routine could actually slow the aging process?

A recent study printed in ‘Circulation’, the journal of the American Heart Foundation, appears to indicate that regular exercise may well be at least one aspect of a fountain of youth.

Aging Protection in the Genes

Research conducted at Saarland University’s Department of Internal Medicine in Homburg, Germany determined that long-term exercise appeared to aid the retention of genetic protection against cell damage associated with age. The study compared the cells of professional athletes with those of healthy non-smoking individuals who did not indulge in regular exercise and found that the telomeres – an element of DNA that prevents age related damage to chromosomes – were better preserved in the bodies of the athletes.

Telomeres may be likened to bookends, which help a cell to retain its integrity during and after the ongoing process of cell division. As individuals age, their cells face a greater risk of damage from the sheer number of divisions performed over time. However, the telomeres are believed to perform in the same fashion as the hard plastic at the end of a shoelace, capping the cell at either end and preventing the unraveling effect of age.

Enzyme Key to Retention of Youth

As a result of the study, researchers concluded that the sustained exercise regime of the athletes had stimulated the production of a protective enzyme that helped to maintain the integrity of anti-aging DNA. The results bear out the long-held theory that physical exertion is one key to the maintenance of heart health. Indeed, the lead author of the study, Dr. Ulrich Laufs, noted that the evidence was proof of the youth-retaining possibilities of a continued exercise regime.

“This is direct evidence of an anti-aging effect of physical exercise. Physical exercise could prevent the aging of the cardiovascular system, reflecting this molecular principle. Our data improves the molecular understanding of the protective effects of exercise on the vessel wall and underlines the potency of physical training in reducing the impact of age-related disease.”

Steps to Prevent the Aging Process

Thus the message for those wishing to retain their youth would seem to be clear, and there are a number of proactive steps that may be taken to prevent the impact of aging on the body. Lifestyle choices are paramount for health, thus ensuring a balanced nutritional intake, perhaps augmented by the addition of a premium multivitamin supplement, antioxidant supplements and probiotics, in addition to a consistent exercise regimen, must be on the menu as well.

Starting and maintaining a regime of physical exertion can slow the aging process and reduce the risk of health issues and disease so often associated with the very fact of age itself.

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Probiotics and Eczema

By this point in time almost everyone who has a passing interest in health and fitness understands the importance of probiotics. Probiotics are defined by the FAO/WHO as live microorganisms which, when administered in adequate amounts, confer a health benefit on the host. The most common types of microbes used in probiotics are lactic acid bacteria, as well as certain types of yeast and bacilli.
Probiotics are most commonly consumed as part of various fermented foods that have active live cultures, such as yogurt, and also via various dietary supplements. They are especially influential on a healthy digestive system, and many individuals take probiotics supplements after using antibiotics to replace the beneficial flora bacteria that were destroyed by the use of the antibiotic in question.

The use of probiotics has become so commonplace that most medical professionals are recommending probiotics both during and after the use of any type of antibiotics. However, a recent Dutch study showed the potential for probiotic benefits reaching beyond simply the replacement of intestinal flora, especially in regards to helping build the immune system's resistance to allergies affecting the skin. In this specific case the study looked at the skin's reaction to eczema. The Dutch study examined 150 pregnant women who had some form of history relating to allergies in their family background, and during the last six weeks of pregnancy gave them either three strains of probiotics or an inactive placebo, with neither the women nor the doctors having knowledge of which group received the active cultures.
After the women gave birth, the Dutch researchers monitored their children, with the children continuing to receive either probiotics or placebos for 12 months. What the researchers noticed was that after three months the rate of eczema decreased drastically among those children using probiotics: less than half the number of cases versus those who were using placebos. After 12 months no placebos or probiotics were administered, and all of the children continued to be observed until two years of age. There was a substantial difference in allergenic responses between children who had been given a placebo, and children who had been given probiotics. The study was published in the Journal of Allergy.

Another recent study took a look at probiotics administered to mice, focusing specifically on allergic responses to food. This study was published in the Journal of Nutrition, and focused on mice that had some form of whey intolerance. They were fed probiotics and prebiotics while drinking milk, eventually showing considerable improvement in regards to their food allergies, culminating in almost no skin reaction whatsoever.

Considering the fact that in today's world up to 8% of all children present with some forms of various chronic food allergies, the benefits of such studies trending towards finding a natural remedy for these children in addressing their allergies is extremely important. It is yet another of the many ways that probiotics are increasingly being viewed as a powerful natural agent for individuals of all ages to maintain optimal health, not just effective digestion.

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