40岁以后的锻炼可能是最重要的

40岁以后的锻炼可能是最重要的

We've been taught that exercise at any age is a key element of good health and longevity, but recent research has zoomed in on a time period in your life when it may the most important of all.

我们一直被教导说，任何年龄段的锻炼都是保持健康和长寿的关键因素，但最近的一项研究将注意力集中在了你生命中可能最重要的一段时期。

Exercising after you've turned 40 may keep telomeres from becoming too short and fraying, a condition researchers have linked to more health problems and shortened lifespans. (Photo: Robert Kneschke/Shutterstock)

A massive survey of more than 315,000 participants conducted in 2019 shows that people who didn't start exercising on a regular basis until they were in their 40s (or even 50s) still reap the benefits compared to people who have been working out most of their lives.

2019年，一项针对31.5万多名参与者的大规模调查显示，那些直到40多岁(甚至50多岁)才开始定期锻炼的人，与那些一生中大部分时间都在锻炼的人相比，仍然能从中受益。

Another more recent study links higher level of physical activity at any intensity, along with less time spend being sedentary, with a lower risk of early death in middle age and older adults. The study, published in the medical journal BMJ, used wearable devices called accelerometers to track physical activity. Researchers followed 36 383 adults in the U.S. and Western Europe who were at least 40 years old with an average age of 62. The risk of early death was nearly five times higher for those who were inactive compared to those who were the most active.

另一项最近的研究表明，任何强度的体育活动水平越高，久坐的时间越少，中年人和老年人早逝的风险就越低。这项发表在《英国医学杂志》(BMJ)上的研究使用了一种名为加速计的可穿戴设备来跟踪身体活动。研究人员对美国和西欧的36383名成年人进行了跟踪调查，这些人至少40岁，平均年龄62岁。与那些最活跃的人相比，不活动的人早死的风险几乎高出5倍。

Longer telomeres, longer life

端粒越长，寿命越长

Telomeres are caps at the ends of strands of DNA that are linked to longevity. (Photo: vitstudio/Shutterstock)

Researchers from the University of Mississippi and the University of California, San Francisco looked at telomere data — those are the caps at the end of DNA strands that are linked to longevity — from 6,500 adults based on a national survey. They found that exercise prevented telomere shrinkage and prolonged life in those ages 40 to 65.

密西西比大学和加州大学旧金山分校的研究人员基于一项全国性调查，对6500名成年人的端粒数据进行了研究。他们发现，在40岁至65岁之间，运动可以防止端粒收缩，延长寿命。

In fact, the more exercise this group did — walking, cycling, weight lifting and the like — the less their telomeres, and their life spans, shrunk.

事实上，这组人做的运动越多——散步、骑车、举重等等——他们的端粒和寿命就越短。

It's unclear whether exercise directly prevents telomeres from shrinking, but researchers have established a strong tie between working out and the genetic markers thought to correspond with life span.

目前还不清楚锻炼是否能直接阻止端粒的萎缩，但研究人员已经在锻炼和被认为与寿命相对应的基因标记之间建立了强有力的联系。

Keeping the immune system young

保持免疫系统年轻

In a study published in Aging Cell, researchers from the University of Birmingham and King's College London found that older adults (ages 55 to 79) with years of regular exercise apparently age more slowly than healthy adults who don't exercise regularly.

伯明翰大学(University of Birmingham)和伦敦国王学院(King's College London)的研究人员在发表于《衰老细胞》(Aging Cell)杂志上的一项研究中发现，有多年定期锻炼的老年人(55岁至79岁)的衰老速度明显慢于不定期锻炼的健康成年人。

"We hope these findings prevent the danger that, as a society, we accept that old age and disease are normal bedfellows and that the third age of man is something to be endured and not enjoyed," says study co-author and University of Birmingham researcher Niharika Arora Duggal.

伯明翰大学研究员、该研究的共同作者Niharika Arora Duggal说:“作为一个社会，我们接受老年和疾病是正常的同床共命运者，人类的第三个年龄是可以忍受的，而不是可以享受的，我们希望这些发现能够防止这种危险。”

It's time to put on your workout gear and get moving.

是时候穿上你的健身装备开始行动了。