Aging Untold: Key to healthy aging is exercise
Fralin Biomedical Research Institute professor studies exercise and mitochondria
ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - A professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC has spent the last 30 years studying whether exercise is the key to living a longer, healthier life. His findings point to mitochondria.
Dr. Zhen Yan is studying exercise at the molecular level. He wants to know how and where muscle cells send the molecular signals that power movement, and why those signals improve mitochondria.
Mitochondria are the center of biology and provide the energy for cells to function.
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Mice study at Duke
Yan said he began looking at the question when he started his independent lab at Duke.
“We fed mice with a high-fat diet. We took the muscle, we did the electron microscopy. We saw this disruptive structure of mitochondria in skeletal muscle on a high-fat diet, for the mice on a high-fat diet. But if the mice on a high-fat diet had access to the running wheel to exercise, their mitochondria looked beautiful,” Yan said.
Mito AMPK molecules
Yan and his team are studying why that happens.
They have discovered a unique pool of molecules called mito AMPK.
The molecules send instructions for the cell to remove old mitochondria and replace them with improved mitochondria over time. Regular exercise activates the molecules.
The team is studying how to use these molecules to potentially treat age-related diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, heart failure, cognitive decline and cancer.
Yan compared exercise to a yearly inspection of a car.
“Over the years, I learned exercise is almost like yearly inspection of the car. So you go, you stress the car, and you see whether the car overheats or not. And the AMPK is like a thermometer to measure the overheating of the car. If the car is overheating, then the engine’s problematic mechanics will replace it with either a new parts or a new engine. So that is the function of mito AMPK,” Yan said.
Type of exercise
Yan believes a combination of resistance training and endurance exercise is best. He believes racket sports such as tennis and pickleball are especially beneficial. His main message is to do what you enjoy.
“Exercise is part of life. And you do this, you will benefit every system in your body. So enjoy exercise. Exercise regularly. The biggest enemy of exercise is injury. So don’t get rushed into it and then hurt yourself,” Yan said.
Drug development
Yan said his team is developing drugs to mimic exercise. The team is still studying and modifying the drug and hopes to have it on the market in the coming years.
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