Abstract
As the inherent ageing process affects every facet of biology, physiology could be considered as the study of the healthy human ageing process. Where biological health is affected by lifestyle, the continual and continuing interaction of this process with physical activity and other lifestyle choices determine whether the ageing trajectory is toward health or disease. The presentation of both these states is further modified in individuals by the interaction of inherent physiological heterogeneity and the heterogeneity associated with responses and adaptions to exercise. The range of heterogeneity in healthy physiology is circumscribed by the necessity to conform to that of the human species. Our hypothesis is that, when sufficient exercise is present, these multiple interactions appear to produce an ageing profile that, while functional ability is in decline, remains synchronous, coherent, and integrated throughout most of life. In the absence of sufficient physical activity, physiology over time is gradually deteriorating toward the production of a lifestyle disease. Here, the ageing process, interacting with individual physiological heterogeneity, probably determines the age of presentation of a disease as well as the order of presentation of subsequent diseases. In this article, we discuss this hypothesis and related concepts in the context of the trajectory of healthy and non-healthy human ageing.
Highlights
A common belief has been that “to grow old is to be sick” (Rowe and Kahn, 1999), but for a large segment of the older population, when the link between age and health decline is evaluated, chronological age is not a relevant marker for understanding, measuring, or experiencing healthy ageing (Yang and Lee, 2010; Lowsky et al, 2014).The WHO defines healthy ageing as “the process of developing and maintaining the functional ability that enables wellbeing in older age” (WHO, 2015)
As the inherent ageing process affects every facet of biology, physiology could be considered as the study of the healthy human ageing process
Where biological health is affected by lifestyle, the continual and continuing interaction of this process with physical activity and other lifestyle choices determine whether the ageing trajectory is toward health or disease
Summary
The Interplay of Exercise and Physiological Heterogeneity as Drivers of Human Ageing. As the inherent ageing process affects every facet of biology, physiology could be considered as the study of the healthy human ageing process. Where biological health is affected by lifestyle, the continual and continuing interaction of this process with physical activity and other lifestyle choices determine whether the ageing trajectory is toward health or disease. The presentation of both these states is further modified in individuals by the interaction of inherent physiological heterogeneity and the heterogeneity associated with responses and adaptions to exercise. The ageing process, interacting with individual physiological heterogeneity, probably determines the age of presentation of a disease as well as the order of presentation of subsequent diseases. Specialty section: This article was submitted to Exercise Physiology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Physiology
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call