How standing might be the best anti-ageing technique

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In relation to this SOTT article: http://www.sott.net/article/242142-Become-a-Stand-Up-Guy-The-History-Benefits-and-Use-of-Standing-Desks

How standing might be the best anti-ageing technique
_http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11073662/How-standing-might-be-the-best-anti-ageing-technique.html

Spending less time on the sofa lengthens 'telomeres' - the caps on chromosomes which protect the genetic code inside
telomere

By Sarah Knapton, Science Correspondent

12:00AM BST 04 Sep 2014


The best anti-ageing technique could be standing up, scientists believe, after discovering that spending more time on two feet protects DNA.

A study found that too much sitting down shortens telomeres, the protective caps which sit at the end of chromosomes.

Scientists found that the less time a person spent sitting, the longer their telomeres, and the greater their chance of living longer

Short telomeres have been linked to premature ageing, disease and early death. So spending less time on the sofa could help people live longer by preventing their DNA from ageing

The research found that people who were frequently on their feet had longer telomeres, which were keeping the genetic code safe from wear and tear.

Intriguingly taking part in more exercise did not seem to have an impact on telomere length.

Prof Mai-Lis Hellenius, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, said : "In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting.

"There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behaviour is an important and new health hazard of our time.

"We hypothesise that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals."

Telomeres stop chromosomes from fraying, clumping together and "scrambling" genetic code.

Scientists liken their function to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, and say that lifespan is linked to their length.

Researchers looked at 49 overweight sedentary adults in their late sixties and measured the length of the telomeres in their blood cells.

Half of them had been part of an exercise programme that lasted six months, while the other half had not.

Physical activity levels were assessed using a diary and pedometer to measure the amount of footsteps taken each day.

The amount of time spent sitting down was worked out through a questionnaire.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, revealed that although people who did more exercise tended to be healthier, the most important factor was how much time they spent sitting down.

Scientists found that the less time a person spent sitting, the longer their telomeres, and the greater their chance of living longer.

The study was published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

The abstract of the referenced study (I cannot access the full abstract, it is behind a paywall)

Stand up for health—avoiding sedentary behaviour might lengthen your telomeres: secondary outcomes from a physical activity RCT in older people

_http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/early/2014/07/30/bjsports-2013-093342

Per Sjögren 1,
Rachel Fisher 2,
Lena Kallings 3,
Ulrika Svenson 4,
Göran Roos 4,
Mai-Lis Hellénius 5

1 Unit of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
2 Atherosclerosis Research Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
3 Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden
4 Department of Medical Biosciences, Pathology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
5 Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet at Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden

Correspondence to Per Sjögren, Unit of Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala Science Park, Uppsala SE 751 85, Sweden; per.sjogren{at}pubcare.uu.se

Accepted 14 July 2014
Published Online First 3 September 2014

Abstract

Background Telomere length has been associated with a healthy lifestyle and longevity. However, the effect of increased physical activity on telomere length is still unknown. Therefore, the aim was to study the relationship between changes in physical activity level and sedentary behaviour and changes in telomere length.

Methods Telomere length was measured in blood cells 6 months apart in 49, 68-year-old, sedentary, overweight individuals taking part in a randomised controlled physical activity intervention trial. The intervention group received individualised physical activity on prescription. Physical activity was measured with a 7-day diary, questionnaires and a pedometer. Sitting time was measured with the short version of The International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

Results Time spent exercising as well as steps per day increased significantly in the intervention group. Reported sitting time decreased in both groups. No significant associations between changes in steps per day and changes in telomere length were noted. In the intervention group, there was a negative correlation between changes in time spent exercising and changes in telomere length (rho=−0.39, p=0.07). On the other hand, in the intervention group, telomere lengthening was significantly associated with reduced sitting time (rho=−0.68, p=0.02).

Conclusions Reduced sitting time was associated with telomere lengthening in blood cells in sedentary, overweight 68-year-old individuals participating in a 6-month physical activity intervention trial.