Effect of aerobic exercise on mitochondrial DNA and aging

The aging process occurs at different rates among different tissues. The complication of the definition of aging is due to the occurrence of various diseases that modify body functions and tissue structure. Advances in medicine and public health have considerably increased life expectancy over the past 200 years. An enormous effort has recently been expended to understand how the aging process is regulated at the molecular and cellular levels with hopes to find a way to extend maximal life span. There are several determinants of life span, but one common thread that has emerged in a variety of species from yeast to rodents is regulation of life span by mitochondria. Mitochondria decay that occurs with age cannot be counteracted unless physical activity is enhanced. As the frontiers of understanding the senescence and life span increases, the countermeasures for reducing aging senescence has brought to light the effectiveness of enhanced physical activities in aging individuals. Regular aerobic exercise may increase healthy life expectance and prolong life through beneficial effects at the mitochondrial level.