April 3, 2018.
According to a study conducted by a team of researchers from King’s College London, older cycling enthusiasts have an immune system as powerful as that of 20-year-olds.
Strengthen your immune system
Regular physical activity is essential for maintaining good health. From a certain age, sport would even strengthen the immune system. This is what emerges from a study published in the journal Aging Cell. According to this work, cycling would slow down immune aging. To reach this conclusion, the researchers followed 125 experienced cyclists, aged 55 to 79.
These people cycled up to two and a half hours per week, with moderate intensity but steadily. None of them were smokers, heavy drinkers or had high blood pressure. The researchers compared the immune defenses of these athletes to that of a group of the same age and another group of young people (20 to 36 years old), in good health but who did not play sports.
Sport, the best way to stay in shape
Their observation focused in particular on the thymus, a gland whose function is to ensure the maturation of certain white blood cells supposed to protect us, and which atrophies normally with age. This atrophy leads to an increased risk of infections. The researchers were thus able to observe that the thymus was just as good in older cyclists as it was in younger people.
In addition, T lymphocytes (types of white blood cells that play an essential role in immune function) were in better shape in senior athletes than in those who did not play any sport. Sedentary lifestyle is a cause of many health problems. The authorities therefore recommend doing 30 minutes of moderate or intense physical activity every day.
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