Targeting the molecular & cellular pillars of human aging with exercise

Biological aging is the main driver of age-associated chronic diseases. In 2014, the United States National Institute of Aging (NIA) sponsored a meeting between several investigators in the field of aging biology, who identified seven biological pillars of aging and a consensus review, Geroscience: Linking Aging to Chronic Disease, was published. The pillars of aging demonstrated the conservation of aging pathways in diverse model organisms and thus represent a useful framework with which to study human aging. In this present review, we revisit the seven pillars of aging from the perspective of exercise and discuss how regular physical exercise can modulate these pillars to stave off age-related chronic diseases and maintain functional capacity.

Automated summary

Biological aging is the main driver of age-related chronic diseases. A meeting sponsored by the United States National Institute of Aging (NIA) identified seven biological pillars of aging, providing a useful framework for studying human aging. This review examines these pillars from the perspective of exercise and discusses how regular physical exercise can modulate them to prevent age-related chronic diseases and maintain functional capacity.