Anti-ageing technique
The best anti-ageing technique could be standing1 up, scientists believe, after discovering that spending more time on two feet protects DNA2.最好的抗衰老技术可能就是站起来，别“坐以待毙”。长时间坐着会缩短端粒——染色体末端的保护帽。
A study found that too much sitting down shortens telomeres, the protective caps which sit at the end of chromosomes3.
Short telomeres have been linked to premature4 ageing, disease and early death. So spending less time on the sofa could help people live longer by preventing their DNA from ageing.
The research found that people who were frequently on their feet had longer telomeres, which were keeping the genetic5 code safe from wear and tear.
Intriguingly6 taking part in more exercise did not seem to have an impact on telomere length.
Prof Mai-Lis Hellenius, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, said : "In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting.
"There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behaviour is an important and new health hazard of our time.
"We hypothesise that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals."
Telomeres stop chromosomes from fraying7, clumping8 together and "scrambling9" genetic code.
Scientists liken their function to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, and say that lifespan is linked to their length.
Researchers looked at 49 overweight sedentary adults in their late sixties and measured the length of the telomeres in their blood cells.
Half of them had been part of an exercise programme that lasted six months, while the other half had not.
Physical activity levels were assessed using a diary and pedometer to measure the amount of footsteps taken each day.
The amount of time spent sitting down was worked out through a questionnaire.
1 standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
2 DNA
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
3 chromosomes
n.染色体( chromosome的名词复数 )
4 premature
adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的
5 genetic
adj.遗传的，遗传学的
6 intriguingly
ntriguingly, she gave to the music a developed although oddly malleable personality. 最神奇的是，她的音乐具有成熟却又很奇怪地极富可塑性
7 fraying
v.（使布、绳等）磨损，磨破( fray的现在分词 )
8 clumping
v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的现在分词 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声
9 scrambling
v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞
頁:
[1]