It has long been believed that ageing makes the body more vulnerable to physical exertion and slows down recovery.<\/p>\n
A major study published in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity challenges this idea.<\/p>\n
Indeed, it shows that older people recover just as well as younger people after physical activity.<\/p>\n
Based on 36 rigorously-selected studies, this meta-analysis compares 389 young adults with 390 older people.<\/p>\n
All were observed for at least 24 hours after exercise, without recourse to external recovery aids.<\/p>\n
The results indicate that no significant difference was observed between the two groups.<\/p>\n
Even more astonishingly, the older participants systematically reported feeling fewer aches and pains than their younger counterparts.<\/p>\n
These findings, reported by the Study Finds website, contradict the idea that ageing leads to a decline in muscle regeneration capacity, due in particular to a reduction in protein synthesis and the number of satellite cells.<\/p>\n
Several hypotheses have been put forward to explain why muscles seem to resist the effects of time so well.<\/p>\n
The study authors believe, for example, that greater muscle stiffness linked to collagen accumulation could make the muscles of older people less vulnerable to micro-injury.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s more, as the physical efforts made by seniors are often more moderate, they typically cause less damage.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, creatine kinase levels \u2013 a marker of muscle damage \u2013 are generally lower in older adults.<\/p>\n
A difference according to sex between age groups was observed only in men, underlining the importance of developing specific research on women.<\/p>\n
Beyond the biological aspects, this study could also help break down a psychological barrier.<\/p>\n
For fear of injury or slow recovery, many older people are reluctant to engage in physical activity.<\/p>\n
Yet, current data sends a clear message: age should not be a barrier to exercise.<\/p>\n
In a world where the United Nations estimates the 60+ population is set to double by 2050, the findings of this study represent a major strategic lever for public health.<\/p>\n
Physical activity, the cornerstone of successful ageing, makes a decisive contribution to maintaining independence, mental health and strengthening social ties.<\/p>\n
So, in the fight against sedentary lifestyles, it could be worth reminding older people that their muscles are tougher than they might think. \u2013 AFP Relaxnews<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It has long been believed that ageing makes the body more vulnerable to physical exertion and slows down…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":31055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4322],"tags":[1154,1630,105,18478,16,15,5129],"class_list":{"0":"post-31054","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fitness","8":"tag-exercise","9":"tag-fitness","10":"tag-health","11":"tag-senior-health","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom","14":"tag-workout"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114360759813396136","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}