Structure Your Workouts

It won’t come as a surprise to learn exercise promotes longevity, but a study published in the journal Aging last August shows structured exercise has strong anti-aging effects and might even slow the body’s molecular clock. Researchers from Tohoku University in Japan focused on epigenetic aging, which looks at changes in the body’s DNA that reflect how quickly we age at a molecular level. While they agree any kind of casual exercise – going for neighbourhood walks, doing yard work, going to yoga once a week – benefits our health, they found structured, purposeful exercise, like strength-training routines and aerobic classes that are planned, repetitive and goal-oriented, have stronger effects when it comes to slowing epigenetic aging. “Our results suggest that aging is not just something that happens to us automatically – it’s something we can influence,” says Takuji Kawamura, study researcher and assistant professor at Tohoku University’s department of aging and geriatric medicine. 

What’s more, the team’s research also looked at the organs of humans and mice that benefit the most from this kind of exercise and found both show reductions in biological age when it came to the heart, gut, liver and fat tissue. “The most encouraging message is that it’s never too late – even in midlife or older age, adopting purposeful exercise habits may help keep the body biologically younger and support a longer, healthier life. Not just more years, but better years,” he says.

Gaming and the Brain

In October, findings from a clinical trial led by researchers at McGill University in Montreal was the first of its kind to show online games can offset signs of aging and improve or boost natural brain chemicals crucial for memory and learning. The study, which looked at 92 adults aged 65 and older who used the games app BrainHQ for 30 minutes a day for 10 weeks, found a boost in cholinergic function, which decreases with age and influences our memory, decision-making ability and attention. In fact, their research – published in JMIR Serious Games – revealed actively playing the games (speed-based exercises that get progressively challenging) restored cholinergic health to levels seen in people a decade younger. Researchers at The Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) used a rare PET scan and tracer that allowed them to see the cholinergic system and track brain changes before and after gameplay. Previous studies have shown brain games can also reduce dementia risk, which involves a major decline in cholinergic health. With that in mind, the team is planning to do a follow-up study looking at how people with early-stage dementia fare using the same app. “These findings suggest that specific types of brain training can actually rejuvenate the chemistry of an aging brain, not just compensate for decline, but potentially reverse it at a biological level,” says Dr. Etienne de Villers-Sidani, one of the study’s researchers and the director of the Cognitive Disorders Clinic at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill University. “We’ve opened a door to a non-pharmacological approach to maintaining brain health. This matters because it gives people an actionable, low-risk tool to support their cognitive longevity.”

Young at Heart … and Brain

You’ve probably been hearing more about “healthspan” lately, which is defined as the years of your life that’s spent in good health. It turns out our organs have their own healthspans and biological ages, and they can be a good predictor of longevity and disease risk. In July, the journal Nature Medicine published a study that looked at the way blood proteins in 11 organs (including the heart, brain, lungs and liver) can estimate a specific organ’s age and its mortality. Researchers looked at lifestyle factors and medications, as well as the probability of future onset of several diseases, including Alzheimer’s, type 2 diabetes and heart failure. 

The big takeaway from their work is youthful brains and immune systems were associated with longevity – people whose brain and immune system tested as biologically young had a 56 percent lower risk of death. Their findings support the use of blood proteins for keeping track of organ health is key when it comes to preventative medicine and reinforces the brain and immune system as vital targets for healthspan and longevity. “The data suggest that our brains and immune systems might be important gatekeepers to a long, healthy life, though further research is needed to understand this in more detail,” says Hamilton Oh, one of the study’s researchers. 

Meal Times Matter

They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and if you’re no early bird when it comes to when you eat breakfast, a recent study of nearly 3,000 older adults suggests it’s time to move up your meals. Research from Mass General Brigham, an academic health system in Boston, published in September in the journal Communications Medicine found eating later (at 9 a.m. or after) might be linked to poorer health (fatigue, poor oral health and depression) and an earlier death. Participants were followed for more than eight years – their meal times, health and blood samples were studied – and scientists found that those who ate earlier in the day were more likely to survive the following decade and had a higher 10-year survival rate compared to those who dined later. It’s something to consider, given the popularity of intermittent fasting and people eating their breakfasts later in the morning. 

Yet Another Reason to Take Vitamin D

We know, we know – you’ve probably been told to take a Vitamin D supplement dozens, if not hundreds, of times. This vitamin is hard to come by in foods, and, while those who live in warmer climates benefit from vitamin D that comes from sunshine, Canadians can’t rely on the sun to get the amount we need to keep our bones healthy, our muscles and brain working properly and our immune systems boosted. A study released in May published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition shows supplementing with daily vitamin D3 can slow the aging process. In fact, it can maintain the length of telomeres, which are the protective caps at the ends of our chromosomes and are linked to certain disease and is a major factor in aging. Researchers from Mass General Brigham and the Medical College of Georgia found that four years of supplementing with 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D3 reduced telomere wear and tear, suggesting the vitamin plays a role in longevity. “Supplementation with 1,000 to 2,000 IU per day of vitamin D would be very reasonable for anyone who has concerns about getting an adequate amount from their diet or time outdoors,” says Dr. Haidong Zhu, a professor of medicine at Augusta University in Georgia, and one of the study’s lead researchers. 

Meditate On This

A collaborative study conducted by researchers at Maharishi International University in Iowa, the University of Siegen in Germany and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland found transcendental meditation doesn’t just alleviate stress, but it can actually slow the aging process. This time-honoured practice involves silently repeating a specific sound or mantra, allowing the mind to settle into a state of deep relaxation and stress relief. We know the effects of stress plays a role in a host of disorders and diseases, and the study, published in February in the journal Biomolecules, showed people who practiced transcendental meditation can reverse the long-lasting effects of stress. Plus, these participants also showed fewer genes associated with inflammation, improved mental health and reduced risk of cardiovascular disease. “The main finding of the study was that gene expression markers in the older group closely resembled those of the younger group,” says Dr. Supaya Wenuganen, the lead investigator and a professor at Maharishi International University. 

Lend a Hand

Helping others is good for the soul, but it’s also good for overall health and longevity. In December, a study published in Social Science & Medicine based on research from the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Massachusetts Boston reported that helping people outside of your household slows cognitive decline in middle-aged and older adults. For 20 years, researchers followed more than 30,000 adults who consistently lent a hand to others and found cognitive decline was reduced by up to 20 percent in people who consistently helped their family, friends and neighbours, or volunteered in more formal ways. The strongest benefits were seen in those who helped others for just two to four hours a week. This is one of the first studies to show it’s not just regular volunteering that has health benefits, but informal assistance – helping a neighbour with yardwork, driving a loved one to an appointment, running errands for friends – can be just as advantageous. 

“One of the clearest takeaways is that older adults don’t need to devote huge amounts of time – two to four hours a week is a very realistic goal; many of us spend far more than that on our screens each day,” says Dr. Sae Hwang Han, one of the researchers involved in the study, and an associate professor at the department of human development and family sciences at the University of Texas at Austin. “Humans are wired to respond when we see someone in need, and growing evidence shows that answering that call doesn’t just benefit the person being helped – it benefits the helper, too. In the context of aging and longevity, this means that contributing to others isn’t just socially valuable – it may also preserve our own cognitive health and quality of life as we grow older.” What’s more, the study’s data showed that withdrawing from helping altogether is tied to worse cognitive function, which suggests we should all be engaged in helping others as we age.