Incredible Flying Nonagenarian: The Power of Exercise in Old Age

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the impact of exercise on aging, particularly in the context of a nonagenarian who remains active. Participants explore the relationship between mitochondrial health and physical activity, as well as the broader implications for longevity and quality of life in older adults.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that aging may be viewed as a mitochondrial disease, with defective mitochondria contributing to declines in endurance and strength.
  • There is a claim that exercise could serve as a potential elixir of youth, possibly mitigating the effects of aging more significantly than previously understood.
  • One participant notes that exercise has been shown to extend lifespan and improve quality of life, particularly for seniors.
  • Another participant expresses a personal belief in living to 150 years, citing the example of the active nonagenarian as encouragement.
  • A participant references a study indicating that muscle fibers in older individuals may not show expected mitochondrial decay, which they find remarkable.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views on the effects of exercise on aging, with some supporting the idea that it can significantly improve health outcomes, while others focus on the limitations of longevity claims. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the extent of exercise's benefits and the implications of mitochondrial health.

Contextual Notes

There are limitations in the discussion regarding the assumptions about mitochondrial health and its direct correlation to exercise and aging. The claims about lifespan extension and health improvements are not universally accepted and depend on various factors.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to those exploring the intersections of aging, exercise science, and health, particularly in the context of longevity and quality of life in older adults.

Astronuc
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The Incredible Flying Nonagenarian
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/magazine/28athletes-t.html

. . . . (Because muscle cells require so much energy, they’re hit hard when mitochondria go down.) Some researchers now see aging itself as a kind of mitochondrial disease. Defective mitochondria appear as we get older, and these researchers say that they rob us of endurance, strength and function. There’s evidence that for young patients with mitochondrial disease, exercise is a potent tool, slowing the symptoms. If that’s true, then exercise could also potentially be a kind of elixir of youth, combating the ravages of aging far more than we thought.
. . . .
You don’t have to be an athlete to notice how ruthlessly age hunts and how programmed the toll seems to be. We start losing wind in our 40s and muscle tone in our 50s. Things go downhill slowly until around age 75, when something alarming tends to happen.
. . . .
EXERCISE HAS BEEN shown to add between six and seven years to a life span (and improve the quality of life in countless ways). Any doctor who didn’t recommend exercise would be immediately suspect. But for most seniors, that prescription is likely to be something like a daily walk or Aquafit. . . . .
Exercise (and diet) is important to good health, especially later in life.
 
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Astronuc said:
The Incredible Flying Nonagenarian
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/28/magazine/28athletes-t.html

Exercise (and diet) is important to good health, especially later in life.

Just ran across this. Wow. I tell everyone that I am going to live to 150 :wink: and people like this give me encouragement.
 
Last edited:
HOLY ****! :bugeye:
 
she won't live forever, but at least she has a chance of dying healthy.
 
In a muscle sample of a person over the age of 65, you would expect to see at least a couple of fibers with some mitochondrial defects. But in around 400 muscle fibers examined, Taivassalo said, “we didn’t see a single fiber that had any evidence” of mitochondrial decay. “It’s remarkable,” she added.