Can tissue ageing be decreased through exercise?

In a study published in the journal Nature Ageing, scientists at Amsterdam UMC, in collaboration with Maastricht UMC have discovered that a type of fat accumulates as tissue ages and that this accumulation can be reversed through exercise.

Lipids are an important part of our diet, and crucial for the functioning of our body cells. Specific lipids make up the membrane of cells, which ensures that the inside and outside remain separate. These lipids can serve as biomarkers of tissue ageing due to their roles in various physiological processes. For instance, certain lipids, such as ceramides and sphingolipids, accumulate in tissues over time and are associated with cellular senescence and age-related diseases. They also play important roles in cell signalling pathways related to inflammation, apoptosis, and oxidative stress, which are key contributors to tissue ageing.

In the study, the research team investigated how the composition of fats changes in mice. They looked at ten different tissues, including muscles, kidneys, liver and heart and noticed that one type of lipid, the bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphates (or BMPs), were elevated in all tissues from the older animals suggesting an accumulation of these lipids during ageing. They then investigated whether this also happens in humans. Although it was not possible to obtain as many different tissues, the accumulation of BMP was also visible in muscle biopsies of older people. Finally, they completed more muscle biopsies from people before and after a healthy intervention that included one hour of exercise a day and saw the level of BMPs decreased in the active participants.

"The idea that we could reverse aging is something that was long considered impossible, but these findings do allow us to understand a lot more about the aging process,” says Riekelt Houtkooper, Professor at the laboratory Genetic Metabolic Diseases of Amsterdam UMC.

"Everyone says that 'it's just part of getting older,' but this doesn't actually have to be true. By understanding more about the aging process, we can also look into new ways of intervening," says Georges Janssens, first author of the paper and assistant professor at Amsterdam UMC.

Reference: Janssens, G.E., Molenaars, M., Herzog, K. et al. A conserved complex lipid signature marks human muscle aging and responds to short-term exercise. Nat Aging (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-024-00595-2