Exercise and Blood DNA: What Happens After 14 Weeks?

Let's talk about a study that looked into how exercise affects blood DNA in older women, especially those who are overweight or obese. For 14 weeks, 41 women participated in a combined exercise program. Scientists checked their blood DNA and health markers at the start, halfway through, and at the end. The good news? Blood pressure and cholesterol levels dropped in overweight and obese women. Triglycerides also went down, but only in the overweight group. As for physical performance, everyone showed improvements.

Now, let's dive into the DNA part. After 14 weeks, there were changes in 1, 043 spots on the DNA, affecting 744 genes. These genes are linked to how cells use energy and other important processes. Some changes were big enough to impact biological paths like how cells make energy (oxidative phosphorylation) and how chemicals can cause cancer (chemical carcinogenesis). In the overweight group, there were significant drops in methylation levels for genes related to making fat (lipogenesis). Protein levels of CCL11, VEGFA, and NTRK3 also decreased. But here's a surprise: even with all these DNA changes, there was no difference in how old the DNA looked (DNAm age). So, what does this all mean? Combined exercise can change DNA patterns, especially in genes linked to making fat. But we still need more research to understand how this affects ageing.

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