From the Times last week:A new study shows that regular pedalling by over-50s helps the body to stay physically healthy for longer.Midlife cyclists will tell you there are many good reasons for getting on a bike — not least that it makes you healthier, slimmer and won’t wear out your knees like running. But even the army of Lycra-clad diehards might be surprised to learn that spending time on two wheels can have such a potent anti-ageing effect. One of the first studies to look at how recreational cycling affects the muscles has thrown up some startling statistics and shown that it dramatically improves the health of an ageing body, potentially adding years to your life.Cycling remains one of the most popular forms of exercise in the UK, with around 10 per cent of people getting on a bike at least once a week and 13 per cent cycling once a month. To date, most studies of its physiological effects have focused heavily on either the cardiovascular benefits for obese people or specific performance-related muscle changes in elite cyclists. Evidence that it might help slow at least one aspect of aging came in a study five years ago by the Institute for Inflammation and Aging at Birmingham University. There, immune cell biologists showed that committed cyclists between the ages of 55 and 79 have a much more youthful immune system than sedentary people. Normally, the thymus gland, which produces infection-fighting T cells, shrinks and becomes less efficient with age, but lifelong cyclists appeared to have thymus glands capable of producing as many T cells as young healthy people.What was missing, says Professor Alister Hart, consultant orthopedic hip surgeon at the Royal National Orthopedic Hospital, who led the new study, were studies examining the effects on muscle health in everyday recreational cyclists. “It’s an area that’s so important because the weakening of muscles with age — known as sarcopenia — is a leading cause of mobility loss and ill health in older adults,” he says. “We wanted to see if cycling helps prevent that and if it has a different kind of protective effect against aging.”…Hart describes the new findings as groundbreaking. “We now have clear evidence that cycling is a great way to stay physically healthy for longer,” he says. “It helps maintain muscle and prevents it from being weakened by fat infiltration, delaying some of the effects of aging.” compare to see if the response is different in any way. In the meantime, his message to those who regularly spin on two wheels is: keep up the good work. And for those who have left their bike in the shed for too long, the motto is “definitely get back in the saddle this spring”.
Tom Pike ● 1267d