Physical Activity and Telomere Biology: Exploring the Link with Aging-Related Disease Prevention

Table 1

Summary of studies investigating physical exercise and telomere-related traits.

Study	Major findings
Human Skeletal Muscle
Collins et al. [76]	Shorter telomeres in VL of subjects with Fatigued Athlete Myopathic Syndrome (FAMS)
Ponsot et al. [86]	Equal VL telomere length between sedentary and active individuals
Kadi et al. [87]	Longer VL telomeres (mean and minimum) in powerlifters compared to sedentary men
Human Leukocytes (WBC unless otherwise noted)
Cherkas et al. [11]	Longer telomeres in more active individuals
Ludlow et al. [12]	Longer PBMC telomeres in moderately active individuals compared to both sedentary and high active
Woo et al. [88]	No difference in telomere length between active and sedentary individuals
Shin et al. [89]	No difference in telomere length in obese middle age women who underwent 6 months of aerobic exercise training compared to sedentary controls
Werner et al. [83]	Longer PBMC telomeres in older athletes compared to older sedentary individuals
Puterman et al. [90]	Longer telomeres in active individuals with lowest psychological stress levels
Zhu et al. [91]	Longer telomeres in active adolescent African American females compared to less active peers
LaRocca et al. [84]	Longer telomeres in older active individuals compared to sedentary peers
Song et al. [92]	Longer telomeres positively correlated with lifestyle factors such as PA level, BMI and smoking status
Rodent Tissues
Radak et al. [93]	No change in telomerase activity with chronic (8 weeks) swimming in rat skeletal muscle or liver
Werner et al. [13]	Increased telomere protection and reduced apoptotic signaling in myocardium after VWR; elucidation of possible mechanisms
Werner et al. [83]	Increased telomere protection and reduced apoptotic signaling in aorta tissue after VWR; confirmation of possible mechanisms observed in Werner et al. [13]

VL: vastus lateralis; WBC: white blood cells; PBMC: peripheral blood mononuclear cells; PA: physical activity; BMI: body mass index; VWR: voluntary wheel running.