- Certain changes occur in your body as you age.
- Researchers are trying to understand the changes that occur as we age, what they mean, and what people can do to correct these changes.
- Recent studies have shown that certain lipids called bis(monoacylglycero)phosphates (BMPs) accumulate in the tissues of older mice and humans.
- Researchers have found that exercise helps reduce fat accumulation in humans.
As people age, body changes are inevitable. But researchers are still trying to fully understand all the changes that are occurring and what it means for older adults’ health.
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The researchers first identified the lipids using mouse tissue and then found similar results in human muscle. They then discovered that exercise can lower levels of this lipid in postmenopausal women.
This result points to the possibility of additional benefits of exercise and the need for further research into this lipid accumulation.
The study’s researchers note that studying complex lipids (fats) may help understand age-related diseases and overall longevity.
To do so, they first examined 10 different tissues from young and old mice to understand age-related lipid differences. They found that most of the tissues they studied began to accumulate more lipids with age. The main lipid they discovered was called bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP).
Next, the researchers wanted to see if similar BMP accumulation occurs in humans. The researchers took muscle biopsies from young men and women aged 20 to 30 and older men and women aged 65 to 80. Although there were differences between male and female muscle tissue samples, the researchers found that BMPs accumulated in older participants.
Study authors Georges E. Janssens, Frédéric M. Vaz, and Riekert H. Fookoper said: Today’s medical news The accumulation of BMPs associated with aging is thought to have the following importance.
“BMPs (lipids found to accumulate with age) have long appeared in the literature as markers of disease and stress. BMP levels may prove to serve as a baseline marker for healthy aging, but this requires further research.
Next, the researchers wanted to see if exercise affected BMP levels. For this part of the study, the researchers studied 12 postmenopausal women between the ages of 45 and 70. These women were overweight and exercised less than three hours each week.
They were randomized to use three different activity regimens: a sedentary regimen that involved sitting for 14 hours a day, an exercise regimen that included one hour of exercise each day, and a standing regimen that involved standing for one hour. A crossover intervention was implemented. 3 hours of walking every day, 2 hours of walking every day. Participants followed each regimen for four days and underwent muscle biopsies on the fifth day.
Researchers found that BMP levels were reduced after exercise intervention, even during short intervention periods.
The study authors further noted the following study highlights:
“We know how simple lipids (e.g. cholesterol) contribute to aging and disease (e.g. atherosclerosis), but ‘complex’ lipids (three or more chemicals with polar properties) Little is known about how different moieties (e.g., phospholipids) contribute. We decided to investigate the complex relationship between lipids and aging… In mice, one type of lipid, bis(monoacylglycero)phosphate (BMP), accumulates almost throughout tissues, and the same changes occur in mice. was also conserved in human muscle (both male and female). (female), that was a surprise. Taking this a step further, a short-term exercise intervention in postmenopausal women revealed that levels of this lipid can be reduced after exercise. ”
This study has a number of limitations. First, early studies utilized mice, which doesn’t necessarily translate to humans. However, further analysis of human muscle tissue appears to confirm similar findings. The researchers also noted that they only used male mice, and there are differences in lipid metabolism between male and female mice.
They used only a small number of people to collect biopsies and only looked at one tissue type, so future studies could include more information in this area. Future studies including mixed groups may also be helpful, as the exercise intervention included only women.
The exercise intervention also only lasted for a short period of time, so it was not possible to examine the long-term effects of exercise on BMP levels. The researchers also acknowledge that all lipids can increase to some extent in the body with age, but they suspect that BMPs increase much more than other lipids.
Finally, researchers had limited data on the use of lipid-lowering drugs, so future studies could see how the use of these drugs affects BMP levels.
The researchers also note that more research is needed to understand the age-related increase in BMPs and whether this is beneficial or harmful to the body. The study authors also share: MNT The following insights into future research in this area:
“The next step is to better understand why BMP accumulation occurs in the first place (is it due to increased production of BMPs or an inability to break down BMPs) and whether it is a deleterious change?” It’s about understanding what happens with aging (causing disease) or beneficial phenomena (defensive reactions the body triggers in response to other damage that occurs as we age). ”
This finding points to another potential reason for older adults to exercise regularly if possible. Dr. Pownel Vukasinov, a board-certified internist at Manhattan Medical Center who was not involved in the study, noted that it is still too early to speculate about the long-term effects of these lipids.
“This study yielded interesting findings regarding the accumulation of certain lipids that occurs with age and how this accumulation affects the aging process. Determining the long-term effects of these lipids It’s still too early and more research is needed. This study further emphasizes the importance of encouraging regular physical activity, especially as we age. , maintain mobility, improve cognitive function and sleep, and even positively impact energy and mood.”
— Dr. Paunel Vukasinov
Although more research is still needed, there may be many other benefits of regular exercise for older adults. For example, the World Health Organization (WHO) points out that:
Seniors can seek appropriate guidance to develop a personalized exercise plan that maximizes their independence and well-being while ensuring their safety. As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) points out,
