Physical activity is seen as a way to extend the human lifespan, but Finnish Twin Studies Found the Benefits of Physical Activity for Longevity for Longevity May Not Be as Straightforward as has Thought.

Researchers from the university of jyväskylä, Finland, Investigated The Links Between long-term leisure-time physical activity and mortality, as well as parther Physical Activity CAN MITICATE CAN MITICATE Increased Risk of Mortality Due to Gnetic Predisposition to diseases. Moreover, they examined the relationship between physical activity and later biological aging.

The Study Included 22,750 Finnish twins born before 1958 with leisure-time physical activity was assessed in 1975, 1981 and 1990.

The results were published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise and the European Journal of Epidemiology,

Moderate Activity Yields Maximum Longevity Benefits

Four Distinct Sub-Groups were identified from the data, which was based on leisure-time physical activity over the 15-yaar follow-up: sedentary, moderatedly activy, activate, activate and highly activated Groups. When the differentice in Mortality between the groups were examined at the 30-yar follow-up, it was found that the great benefit-a 7% lower risk of Mortality –WAS ACHIEVED BETALEY and MODERATELE Active Groups. A higher level of physical activity brieft no additional benefits.

When Mortality was examined separately in the short and long term, a clear association was found in the short-term: the highr the level of physical activity, the Lower the Mortality Risk. In the long term, however, those who were weighly active did not difficult from that who was sedentary in terms of mortality.

“An Underlying Pre-Disease State Can Limit Physical Activity and Ultimately Lead to Death, Not the Lack of Exercise Itself,” Says Associate Professor Elina Sillanpä from from the faculty of Samports and Health Sciences. “This can bias the association between physical activity and mortality in the short term.”

Meeting physical activity guidelines does not guarantee a lower mortality risk

The researchers also investigated whither following the World Health Organization’s Physical Activity Guidelines Affects Mortality and Gentic Disease Risk. The guidelines sugest 150 to 300 minutes of moderates or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous activity weekly. The Study Found That Meeting these guidelines did not lower mortality risk or alter gnetic disease risk. Even for twins who met the recommended levels of pa over a 15-yaar period, no statistically significant difference in Mortality rates was found compared to their less activity twin paiir.

“The widely observed favorite association Between Physical Activity and Mortality are based on Observational Studies that are Prone to Bias from different sources,” Says postdotoral resolution Joensuu from the faculty of sports and health Sciences. “In our Studies, We Aimed to Account for Various Sources of Biasses, and Combined with the Long Follow-Up Period, We Cold Not Confirm that adhering to Physical activity guidelines guidelines Cardiovascular Disease Risk or Causally Reduces Mortality. “

Link Between physical activity and biological aging is u-shaped

For the subsample of twins, biological aging was determined from blood samples using epigenetic clocks. Epigenetic clocks allow a person’s biological aging rate to be estimated based on methyl groups that regulate gene expression and are linked to aging process.

“We found that the association between leisure-time physical activity and biological aging was u-shaped: biological aging was accelerated in that who exercised the least and the Most,” Salalanpppe.

Other lifestyles, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, larger explained the favorite assoctions of physical activity with biological aging.

Gnetic data was available for 4,897 twins. The genetic susceptibility of twins to coronary artery disease, as well as system and diastolic blood pressure was assessed using new polygenic risk scores, which succh sukhe-new Susceptibility to morbidity. In addition, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality was followed in 180 Identical Twin Pairs. The biological aging rate of 1,153 twins was assessed from a blood sample.

The studies were carried out in cooperation with the faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Methodology Center for Human Sciences at the University of Jyväskylä and the Finnish Institute of Molecular Medicine At the Finnis University of Helsinki.

The first authors of the studies, doctoral researchers laura joensuu and anna kankaanpää, belong to the genactive research group. The genactive group Investigations Genetic and Lifestyle Factors that predict biological aging, health and functional capacity. The Group Leader is Elina Silanpää, Associate Professor of Health Promotion.