Abstract
Background: There is an increasing number of studies showing that physical activity and aerobic exercise have a positive effect on telomere length. Some studies also show that dynamics of telomere length is influenced by various environmental factors such as lifestyle and diet. However, the association between exercise and diet with telomere length is still questionable. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of aerobic physical exercise on relative telomere length changes in high fat-diet condition in rat animal models. Methods: This study was an in vivo experimental study using twelve Sprague-Dawley male white rats (12-month-old). Subjects were evenly and randomly divided into two groups (n=6): (1) high fat-diet fed control group; (2) high fat-diet fed and aerobic exercise treatment group. Aerobic exercise was conducted using animal treadmill with intensity of 20 m/min, 5 days/week. At weeks 4 and 8, relative telomere length was compared with week 0 control group, using q-RT-PCR. Results: Lengthening of relative telomere length was observed in both control and treatment groups at weeks 4 and 8, when compared to week 0 control group. The lengthening in the control group was much greater than the treatment group. Conclusions: Excessive increase of relative telomere length was seen in high fat-diet conditions. Aerobic exercise for 8 weeks suppresses excessive increase of relative telomere length in high fat-diet conditions.
Highlights
Obesity is a global problem that is associated with high mortality and morbidity
Results from our current study showed a lengthening of relative telomere length in both groups in week 4 and week 8
Our result shows that aerobic exercise can act as a barrier to progressive changes that occur in the relative telomere length caused by a high-fat diet condition
Summary
Obesity is a global problem that is associated with high mortality and morbidity. Several studies has shown that obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, diabetes, and even certain cancers[1,2,3]. The World Health Organization (WHO) showed that in the last 4 decades obesity rates have increased 10 times worldwide[3]. This phenomenon is worrisome because there is an increasing number of people who have a high risk of developing various diseases associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of aerobic physical exercise on relative telomere length changes in high fat-diet condition in rat animal models. Conclusions: Excessive increase of relative telomere length was seen in high fat-diet conditions. Aerobic exercise for 8 weeks suppresses excessive increase of relative telomere length in high fat-diet conditions
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