Older athletes have roughly the same muscle metabolism as young adults

Scientists from Maastricht University and Amsterdam UMC discovered in a joint study on aging in muscle tissue that the energy balance in the muscles of elderly and young people who exercise is almost the same.

They discovered this when they compared muscle biopsies from individuals in different age groups and physical conditions. One substance – NAD + – has been found to be present to a lesser extent in older muscles. This substance plays an important role in the energy factories of our cells. Animal studies have previously shown that there is a link between NAD+ and longevity. So we also now know that it plays a role in human muscle aging.

But the researchers saw something else: very athletic elderly people turned out to have the same amount of this substance as younger adults. This suggests that people may be able to reverse or prevent the aging of their muscles through an active lifestyle.

Can’t you just take a pill to increase your NAD+ level? They think about it, but until such pills exist (and even if they do exist), the following applies: With exercise, you keep your muscles young, even when you’re old.

Read more: Healthy aging and muscle function are positively related to NAD+ abundance in humans†