Exercise prevents the shortening of telomeres caused by psychological stress. Image courtesy of mikebaird.
New research by Nobel Prize winning UCSF researcher, Elizabeth Blackburn, provides a possible mechanism by which exercise protects against stress-related chromosome aging.
The findings, presented this month at the American Association for Cancer Research 102nd Annual Meeting, were based on earlier research showing that stress accelerates telomere shortening. Telomeres are protective strands of DNA found on the end of chromosomes that protect them from degradation during cell division. Telomere length is associated with cellular health, and is a known marker of cell aging.
Shorter telomeres are associated with cell death and chromosome instability, which can lead to inflammation. In immune cells, short telomeres can predict poorer prognosis in patients with heart disease and cancer.