HHS HealthBeat (July 19, 2010)

Exercise and telomeres

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Stress can damage your telomeres, but a study indicates regular exercise might protect them.

Telomeres are DNA sequences that protect cells and keep them viable. Telomeres naturally wear down, but you don’t want to rush things.

At the University of California, San Francisco, Eli Puterman looked at telomeres of immune cells from post-menopausal women with a range of stress. Some women met exercise recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the rest didn’t:

``Psychological stress did relate to shorter telomeres, but only in those who remained inactive. In those who participated in levels of physical activity that are recommended by the CDC, telomere length was unaltered.’’  (10 seconds)

The study in the journal PLoS One was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: July, 19 2010