Previous research suggests that calorie restriction and exercise may increase longevity and lower the risk of age-related diseases. Now research reports the mechanism in which exercise and calorie restriction delay aging. Scientists found that exercise and calorie restriction can reverse nerve shrinkage and alterations in synapses that occur with aging. A synapse is a connection between two nerve cells or nerves and muscles. These results may have important implications for anti-aging treatments.
The study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, investigated the reasons why calorie restriction and exercise may improve aged synapses and nerve function. Researchers at Harvard University In Cambridge, Massachusetts compared the neuromuscular junctions of young adult and aged lab mice. They allowed one month of exercise (wheel running) in aged mice and administered a life-long caloric-restricted diet in young mice. Time-lapse imaging was obtained from the mice.
The researchers found that in young mice nerve endings connect with muscle receptors, leading to healthy muscles. However, in aged mice nerve shrinkage and synaptic abnormalities led to muscle wasting (sarcopenia). Findings revealed that the calorie-restricted mice had significantly reduced age-related synaptic and motor neuron changes. The exercising mice had reduced age-related synaptic changes.
“These results demonstrate a critical effect of aging on synaptic structure and provide evidence that interventions capable of extending health span and lifespan can partially reverse these age-related synaptic changes,” the study authors write.
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