outrunning your "zombie Cells"

The idea of outrunning zombie cells might sound like a horror flick, or maybe one of those “tough mudder” road races. But you might already be winning this race, simply by staying fit and healthy.
 
Through a little-known field of aging research called cellular senescence, scientists are studying human cells that eventually stop dividing. They enter a “senescent” state in which they harm nearby cells like moldy fruit in an apple barrel. Accumulating in older bodies, these cells are associated with such age-related conditions as dementia, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.
 
Tame Those Zombies
 
Research offers clues that we can tame senescence ourselves, simply by exercising. One study, led by Nathan LeBrasseur of the Mayo Clinic, provided the first evidence in humans that exercise can lower indicators of senescence. It’s a hot topic in scientific circles related to aging.
 
Much more research needs to be done, and scientists caution that dietary supplements marketed as senolytics haven’t been shown to work nor proven safe.
 
Still, “many older adults intuitively equate exercise with youthfulness,” writes Laura Ungar of the Associated Press. She describes how Richard Soller, age 95, competed in track events this spring at the 2022 National Senior Games in Fort Lauderdale. Soller, who added five medals to his collection of 1500, advises, “Do as much as you can. That should be the goal for anyone to stay healthy.”
 
You don’t even need to collect medals to win this competition. Tufts University researcher Christopher Wiley says, “I’m not looking for the fountain of youth. I’m looking for the fountain of not being sick when I’m older.” 

--Leah Rewolinski

Thanks to club member Ray Jancso for passing along the AP story cited above.