Department of Physiology. Faculty of Medicine. University of Valencia., Av. Blasco Ibanez, 15, Valencia, E46010 Spain.
Curr Pharm Des. 2014;20(18):3019-29. doi: 10.2174/13816128113196660704.
Scientific evidence links physical activity to several benefits. Recently, we proposed the idea that exercise can be regarded as a drug. As with many drugs, dosage is of great importance. However, to issue a public recommendation of physical activity in aging is not an easy task. Exercise in the elderly needs to be carefully tailored and individualized with the specific objectives of the person or group in mind. The beneficial effects of exercise in two of the main age-related diseases, sarcopenia and Alzheimer's Disease, are dealt with at the beginning of this report. Subsequently, dosage of exercise and the molecular signaling pathways involved in its adaptations are discussed. Exercise and aging are associated with oxidative stress so the paradox arises, and is discussed, as to whether exercise would be advisable for the aged population from an oxidative stress point of view. Two of the main redox-sensitive signaling pathways altered in old skeletal muscle during exercise, NF-κB and PGC-1α, are also reviewed. The last section of the manuscript is devoted to the age-associated diseases in which exercise is contraindicated. Finally, we address the option of applying exercise mimetics as an alternative for disabled old people. The overall denouement is that exercise is so beneficial that it should be deemed a drug both for young and old populations. If old adults adopted a more active lifestyle, there would be a significant delay in frailty and dependency with clear benefits to individual well-being and to the public's health.
科学证据表明，身体活动与许多益处相关。最近，我们提出了这样的观点，即运动可以被视为一种药物。就像许多药物一样，剂量非常重要。然而，向老年人推荐身体活动并不是一件容易的事。老年人的运动需要根据个人或群体的具体目标进行精心设计和个性化。本报告首先讨论了运动对两种主要与年龄相关的疾病（肌肉减少症和阿尔茨海默病）的有益影响。随后，讨论了运动的剂量以及涉及运动适应的分子信号通路。运动和衰老与氧化应激有关，因此产生了一个悖论，并从氧化应激的角度讨论了运动对老年人群是否可行。在运动过程中，衰老骨骼肌中两种主要的氧化还原敏感信号通路 NF-κB 和 PGC-1α 也被综述。本文的最后一部分专门讨论了运动禁忌的与年龄相关的疾病。最后，我们探讨了应用运动模拟物作为残疾老年人替代方案的可能性。总的来说，运动是如此有益，以至于它应该被视为年轻人和老年人的一种药物。如果老年人采取更积极的生活方式，那么虚弱和依赖的发生将显著延迟，这将对个人的健康和公众的健康带来明显的好处。
