Exercise Reverses Aging in Human Skeletal Muscle

Massage therapists who work with a geriatric clientele are witnesses to the effect of aging on muscle tissue. New research shows that exercise—specifically, resistance training—rejuvenates muscle tissue in healthy senior citizens.

The study involved a before-and-after analysis of gene expression profiles in tissue samples taken from 25 healthy older men and women who underwent six months of twice-weekly resistance training, compared to a similar analysis of tissue samples taken from younger healthy men and women. The results of the study appeared in the May 23 edition of the online, open access journal PLoS One.

The gene expression profiles involved age-specific mitochondrial function; mitochondria act as the “powerhouse” of cells. Multiple studies have suggested mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in the loss of muscle mass and functional impairment commonly seen in older people. The study was the first to examine the gene expression profile, or the molecular fingerprint, of aging in healthy, disease-free humans.

Results showed that in older adults, there was a decline in mitochondrial function with age. However, exercise resulted in a reversal of the genetic fingerprint back to levels similar to those seen in the younger adults.

The study also measured muscle strength. Before exercise training, the older adults were 59 percent weaker than the younger adults, but, after training, the strength of the older adults improved by about 50 percent, such that they were only 38 percent weaker than the young adults.