Here’s How Exercise Helps You Live Longer

In the last two editions, we’ve been discussing the importance of nutrients for optimal cell growth and regeneration. Our cells’ ability to tell if it’s a good time for them to grow or not is crucial for our wellbeing. But unfortunately, this ability declines with time. This decline is called “deregulated nutrient sensing”, and is one of the nine hallmarks of ageing. Nutrient sensing by our cells happens via four pathways, IGF-1, mTOR, sirtuins and AMPK. In the previous edition we focused on the mTOR, and today, we will deep dive into sirtuins. 

Sirtuins are a type of enzyme. Enzymes are proteins that help speed up metabolism. They do so by speeding up chemical reactions in cells. Something that would have taken a very long time can happen almost instantly, all thanks to sirtuins. There are seven sirtuins called sirtuins 1, sirtuins 2 and so on (SIRT1-SIRT7). The seven types  are structurally related but have different functions in a cell (though there is some overlap).

Their functioning is dependent on NAD/NAD+ (Nicotinamide Adenine Nucleotide). NAD+ helps convert food to energy, plays a crucial role in maintaining DNA integrity and ensures proper cellular functioning to protect our bodies from ageing and disease.

Sirtuins protect our cells from disease and death. They are also involved in a broad range of cellular pathways like:

• Energy metabolism
• Cellular stress responses
• Genomic stability
• Tumorigenesis

Sirtuins modulate an organism’s lifespan by interacting with various lifespan regulating and signalling pathways like IGF-1, AMPK (we will talk about this next week) and FoxO. It plays a key role in delaying cellular senesce and extends the organism’s lifespan by regulating diverse cellular processes. 

However, as we age, NAD and sirtuin levels steadily decrease. This decline is made worse with obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.

Loss of sirtuin and NAD have been linked to a variety of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases:

• Atherosclerosis
• Endothelial dysfunction 
• Acute cardiac syndromes
• Cardiomyopathy 
• Arrhythmias
• Hypertension 
• Diabetes
• Blood pressure
• Obesity & fatty liver
• Dyslipidemia

Sirtuins also play complex and important roles in regulating cancer cell growth and proliferation.

What can you do?

Get Up, Get Out & Get Moving! 

Exercise activates each one of the sirtuin pathways in different ways. So make sure to get at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise everyday. 

Different exercise modalities have shown a number of positive effects on sirtuins’ activation: 

Aerobic exercise:

• Increases SIRT1 and SIRT3 protein content 
• Increases AMPK activity
• Improves antioxidant defences 
• Increases PGC-1 (regulates the genes involved in energy metabolism)

Aerobic Training: swimming can regulate protein expression (how proteins are synthesised, modified and regulated) for SIRT3, AMPK and FoxO.

Aerobic Interval Training: 

• Improves cognitive function through the regulation of SIRT3
• Reduces oxidative stress levels 

High-Intensity Interval Training: 

• Increases SIRT1 activity
• Induces mitochondrial biogenesis (the process by which cells increase mitochondrial numbers)

This newsletter is a part of our ongoing series The Longevity Hack. Our aim is to help you understand the science, learn to recognise the markers of ageing and to develop biohacks for each of these. Next week, we will look at the next protein group under deregulated nutrient sensing. You can read the previous editions here. 

Curious to know more about longevity, ageing and how you can cultivate a lifestyle which will help you live longer, healthier and happier?  

Feel free to drop me a message for a 1-on-1 conversation.