Exercise is good for you. We know you know that. But we are finding out that what type of exercise you do can have a different effects on different health goals. We know that weight and resistance training are important to build muscle in middle age- you can’t just do aerobic activity alone. But what about endurance training? HIIT? Is one better than another?
In biohacking we focus on antiaging and longevity. How can we improve every cell in your body at a cellular level? For this we look at telomeres. We know as you age your telomeres shorten- this is a hallmark of cellular aging and cell senescence- where cells turn older, don’t replicate as accurately or quickly, and eventually die. We see this outwardly as the signs of aging: thinning hair, wrinkled skin, muscle loss.
At our Biohackr Health clinics in San Francisco and Palo Alto, we offer telomere testing
(where are you at now? is it age appropriate? Is your biologic age younger or older than your chronologic age? TELOMERE TEST) and we offer treatments to help with longevity like our NAD program, creatine, and more. Read our blogs on how to preserve telomere length as well. Many of them are diet and exercise related. TELOMERE BLOGS
We liked this article which looked at different kinds of exercise — specifically endurance exercise vs resistance training vs interval HIIT training — on telomere length.
This was a randomized, controlled. study. If you are trying to do everything you can for longevity and antiaging and you are going to exercise, is one way better than another? The answer seems to be yes.
“Differential effects of endurance, interval, and resistance training on telomerase activity and telomere length in a randomized, controlled study” published in January 2019 in the European Heart Journal. They were looking specifically at is one kind of exercise better by measuring the changes in telomerase activity and telomere length.
Study:
- 243 individuals who were previously inactive, age 30-60, BMI below 30.
- Excluded: smokers, known heart disease, Being on medication, HBA1c. 6.1, Blood pressure > 160/100.
- 6 months
- 4 arms: control (no change in lifestyle), aerobic training (continuous running), High intensity training (HIIT 4 x4 method), resistance training (circle training on 8 devices)
- Each was done for 45 minutes, 3 times a week
- They measured VO2 max, blood pressure, resting heart rate, fasting blood sugar, cholesterol levels, peak heart rate, respiratory exchange rate and more.
- VO2 max, telomerase activity were measured.
Findings?
- All the arms helped with VO2 max.
- All the arms had improved resting heart rate.
- Telomerase was increased 2-3x by endurance training and HIIT, but not by resistance training.
- Telomere length was increased by endurance training, but not resistance training.
They conclude, “This randomized controlled trial shows that endurance training, HIIT and resistance training protocols induce specific cellular pathways in circulating leucocytes. Endurance training and HIIT, but not resistance training increased telomerase activity and telomere length which are important for cellular senescence, regenerative capacity, and thus, healthy aging.”
We liked how this was a randomized, controlled trial. They hypothesize that telomere length and telomerase were improved because the telomeres were adapting to physiological stress. Again, keeping telomeres long is a cornerstone of longevity. Telomeres are needed for stability of your genes, so that cellular division happens smoothly without issues.
How can Biohackr Health help you?
- TEST. We offer telomere length testing, NAD level testing, VO2 max testing and InBody scans which will help you know your body fat vs. muscle percentage. What do these tests show you? Is your biologic age the same as your chronologic age? TEST
- TREAT. We offer many treatments at our Biohackr clinics in SF and Palo Alto which are trying to help you age better at a cellular level. These usually involve a multipronged approach based on what your issues are.
- NAD. We have an entire NAD program as we feel this is a basic tenet of longevity and increasing healthspan. NAD and its precursors NMN lead to healthy mitochondrial function in every body cell. NAD
- creatine. Build muscle. Oddly, the studies on creatine show that resistance and weight training are more effective in older age to build muscle and must be done in conjunction with creatine for muscle strengthening. CREATINE
- hormones, particularly in perimenopause and menopause. Hormone replacement is likely recommended for almost all women in perimenopause or menopause. Meet with our telehealth clinician (covered by insurance) for an in depth analysis. Estrogen has incredible positive effects on heart, bone, and brain health. BHRT
- blood glucose. Prediabetic? Diabetic? Having high blood sugar is a risk factor for almost every disease process- diabetes, heart disease, weight, inflammation, dementia, and cancer risk. We offer testing for insulin and blood sugar, continuous glucose monitors, a probiotic which helps with glucose control, and GLPs. GLUCOSE & HEALTHSPAN
- cholesterol. Heart disease continues to be the biggest cause of death for men and women. Do an in depth cholesterol panel (looking at ApoB, Lipoprotein A, and more) to help stratify your risk. Our telehealth medical advisors can prescribe medications which can help. CHOLESTEROL & HEALTHSPAN
- weight. Almost every disease process, from high blood pressure to sleep apnea to diabetes increases if you are not at a good body weight. With all of the different methods for medical weight loss, please come in and see what would be good for you. MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS
It is hard to reverse aging. What is thought to be more accurate when addressing longevity is employing methods to slow aging. We know diet is a key component. Exercise is too. This study shows that endurance and high intensity interval training is important to help your cells age more slowly and preserve telomere length.
You need to employ these methods NOW. If you want to be good in your 60s and 70s, you have to lay the foundation in your 30s, 40s, and 50s. I can only imagine what younger generations will be able to achieve starting these good habits and understanding cellular aging at a younger age.
These improvements were seen with 3 sessions of 45 minutes a week. Invest in your health.