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Table 1 The effects of physical activity on telomere biology: RCT studies

From: Physical Activity on Telomere Length as a Biomarker for Aging: A Systematic Review

References

Subjects

Telomere analysis: cell type

Measurement method

Physical activity

Main findings

Mason et al. [53]

439 women, postmenopausal, overweight or obese (50–75 years)

n = 105 diet

n = 106 aerobic exercise

n = 108 diet + aerobic exercise

n = 79 sedentary

TL: Leukocytes

qPCR

Aerobic PA at 225 min/week (5 sessions/week, 45 min/session) for 12 months; intensity of training reached at 70–85% of HRmax, moderate to vigorous exercise

No significant difference in TL detected in any of the intervention group versus sedentary controls

Sjögren et al. [118]

n = 49 men and women randomly selected from previous RCT on PA invention versus sedentary lifestyle (68 years, 14 men)

TL: Whole blood

qPCR

PA of moderate- and low-intensity with pedometer tracking steps at 210 min/week exercise (30 min/d) for 6 months

↑ Significant association of increased TL with reduced sedentary/sitting time;

No significant difference in TL with steps per day or increased exercise duration

Tosevska et al. [87]

105 men and women, elderly, sedentary lifestyle

n = 23–30 RT exercise (82 ± 6 years)

n = 21–23 RT exercise + protein supplement (81 ± 8 years)

n = 20–26 sedentary group with cognitive training (84 ± 5 years)

TL: Whole blood

qPCR

RT at 2 sessions/week (elastic bands, chairs, body weight exercises), with 1 set of 15 repetitions for 4 weeks then progressive increase of 2 sets light exercises to 2 sets heavy exercises, for 6 months

No significant difference in TL in any of the groups

Friedenreich et al. [52]

212 women, postmenopausal, heathy, physically inactive

n = 99 exercise (60.4 years)

n = 113 sedentary (60.0 years)

TL: Leukocytes

qPCR

Aerobic PA at 225 min/week (5 sessions/week, 45 min/session) for 12 months; intensity of training reached at 70–80% of HR reserve

Increase in TL in the exercise group but not statistically significant due to inadequate sample size at follow-up

Puterman et al. [55]

68 men and women, caregivers

n = 34 exercise (59.3 ± 5.7 years, 4 men)

n = 34 sedentary (63.3 ± 6.4 years, 9 men)

TL: Leukocytes

Telomerase: PBMC

TL: qPCR

Telomerase: ddPCR

Aerobic PA at 60 min/week of lower moderate intensity 40% of HR reserve for 9 weeks; then 120–150 min/week of upper moderate intensity for 15 weeks

↑ Significant increase in rTL in the exercise group versus sedentary controls

No significant difference in telomerase activity between groups

Eigendorf et al. [97]

291 women, sedentary lifestyle

n = 146 ET exercise (53 ± 5 years)

n = 145 sedentary (53 ± 5 years)

TL: PBMC

qPCR

ET at 210 min/week (> 3 sessions/week) for 6 months;

intensity of training reached at individualized HR

↑ Significant increase in TL in the ET exercise group versus sedentary controls

No effect on TL with aerobic exercise; only subjects of lowest aerobic fitness showed significant increase in TL

Werner et al. [57]

124 men and women, healthy, sedentary lifestyle

n = 34 RT (48.1 ± 7.5 years, 14 men)

n = 29 IT (48.4 ± 6.5 years, 10 men)

n = 26 AET (49.5 ± 7.0 years, 9 men)

n = 35 sedentary (50.2 ± 7.4 years, 12 men)

TL: MNCs, Leukocytes

Telomerase:

MNC

FACS, FISH, qPCR

PA training at 135 min/week (3 sessions/week, 45 min/session) for 6 months

IT: 4 × 4 method, high-intensity

AET: intensity at 60% heart rate

RT: 8 machine-based exercises, 20 repetitions/exercise

TL and Telomerase: at 0 and 6 months

↑ Significant increase in rTL and telomerase activity with AET after 6 months

↑ Significant increase in rTL with IT after 6 months

No significant increase in TL or telomerase activity within RT or sedentary group after 6 months

Hooshmand et al. [58]

30 men, elderly, healthy, any level of regular physical activity

n = 15 RT exercise (66.33 ± 3.35 years)

n = 15 sedentary (66.13 ± 3.04 years)

Telomerase: Blood serum

ELISA

RT at 3 sessions/week (15 repetitions/exercise) for 12 weeks; intensity reached at 60-s with 30-s of rest, starting at 60% of repetition maximum with 5% increment in repetitions

↑ Significant increase in telomerase activity in the RT exercise group versus sedentary controls