Feel younger after a vigorous bike ride?
Now there’s a solid reason to believe it.
A team of scientists in the U.K. felt that way. Their group happens to include several keen recreational cyclists – of a certain age – who decided to put the idea to the test.
Their experiments produced results we cyclists might not be surprised by, but will certainly relish. Now we can be confident that the activity we love is helping us stay younger longer.
The research caught the attention of the New York Times – How Exercise Can Keep Aging Muscles and Immune Systems ‘Young’.
The researchers looked at a wide range of physical and cognitive abilities of people between 55 and 79 years of age. Later they focused on muscle condition and immune system markers. The results revealed that the senior cyclists were closer to 30 year olds in their capacities than to their sedentary contemporaries.
They concluded that “older cyclists are not like most of the rest of us. They are healthier. They are, biologically, younger.”
– New York Times
The studies did not look at other forms of exercise, so we don’t know what other activities could deliver similar benefits. For now at least it’s good to know that, as long as we cyclists keep riding, aging is optional!
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