If you are looking for new and effective anti-aging supplement, then scientists have carried out a study that found that cycling keeps the immune system young and keeps you young.
The research, published in the journal Ageing Cell, studied 125 amateur cyclists, aged between 55 and 79 and compared them with healthy adults, who hardly exercise regularly.
The findings have shown that cycling helps to preserve muscle mass and strength with age, including control of body fat and cholesterol. In terms of male body, this particular exercise also keeps the testosterone levels high.
Britain's researchers, who conducted the study have stated that an organ called the thymus, which is responsible to create immune T-cells, usually starts to shrink from the age of 20. But they found that in the case of the older cyclists, this thymus is generating as much as possible T-cells.
The director of the Institute of Inflammation and Ageing at the University of Birmingham, Prof. Janet Lord said, "Our research means we now have strong evidence that encouraging people to commit to regular exercise throughout their lives is a viable solution to the problem that we are living longer but not healthier."
The male cyclists, who took part in this study, were able to cycle 100 km in 6.5 hours, while female participants had to cover 60 km in under 5.5 hours. This research included non-exercising people and divided them into different age groups.
While one group consisted of 75 healthy individuals, aged between 57 and 80, the other group had 55 young adults, aged from 20 to 36.
Professor Stephen Harridge, of King's College London, said that the findings showed that "the cyclists do not exercise because they are healthy, but that they are healthy because they have been exercising for such a large proportion of their lives."
"Their bodies have been allowed to age optimally, free from the problems usually caused by inactivity. Remove the activity and their health would likely deteriorate," he concluded.
Earlier, researchers from Houston Methodist Research Institute have found a way to reverse aging of human cells. They conducted a study on samples taken from older adults and people with progeria disease, which showed that the aging could be cured.
Some scientists have also given out hope of modifying genetic codes, which would help to cure the genetic as well as aging problems among humans.
