“In my dreams, I never have an age.” ― Madeleine L'Engle

    This is an interesting article from www.runnersworld.com.   Telomere length is thought to be a marker of biological aging, longer being better.  .

Older Endurance Athletes Have Longer Telomere Lengths

One possible, though still speculative, explanation for exercise health benefits.

By

Amby Burfoot

Published

January 10, 2013

A Norwegian research team has found that older endurance athletes seem to have longer telomere lengths than less-active, age-matched controls. This is one speculative pathway by which exercise might confer many of its age-related benefits.

Telomeres are the end sections of human chromosomes, and they get shorter as we age. Some simple animal experiments (but none in humans) have shown that processes that maintain telomere length are capable of extending lifespan.

The Norwegians measured telomere length in 10 older men, aged 66-77. Five were endurance athletes, five engaged in “medium level” activity. Result: The endurance athletes had longer telomere lengths. A similar comparison between young men, 22-27, revealed no difference in telomere lengths.

“Long-term endurance exercise training may provide a protective effect on muscle telomere length in older people,” the researchers concluded.

For background reading, here’s a short Scientific American article on telomere lengths.

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     The US is Number 1 again.....we are the unhealthiest developed nation in the world.  This is according to a new report by The National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine.
     The report, which compared the U.S. to 16 other nations, including Japan, the U.K., and most of Western Europe, found that while Americans spend the most on health care by far, life expectancy and general health are actually significantly poorer than in other countries.

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Now,for a little humor to start off your weekend-----