Exercise and biological age
5 papers in the library, strongest Moderate.
Graded Moderate · Prospective cohort of 6,621 US adults followed for a median of 6.75 years, with accelerometer-measured rhythms, yet observational data cannot show cause.
Papers 5
- Strong Daily Rhythms Plus Exercise Cut Death Risk by Two-ThirdsModeraten = 6,6212026The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciencesAdults whose sleep-wake cycles followed a strong daily rhythm and who got enough exercise had a 65% lower risk of dying from any cause over about 7 years. The combo also slashed cardiovascular death risk by 75%. Part of the benefit seemed to come from slower biological aging, hinting that consistent routines matter as much as the workout itself.
- Exercise Linked to Younger Biological Age, But Effect Is ModestModeraten = 145,4652026The lancet. Healthy longevityPulling together 44 studies on nearly 145,000 people, researchers found that more physical activity is tied to a younger biological age, but only on certain epigenetic clocks. The effect showed up clearly on GrimAge and Horvath clocks, but not on Hannum or PhenoAge. The size of the benefit was small, and most data came from snapshot studies, so we can't say exercise actually causes the slowdown yet.
- Better Diet Linked to Slower Epigenetic Aging, But Exercise Steals the ShowModeraten = 3,9102026Aging cellIn two large U.S. studies of older adults, eating a higher-quality diet was tied to slower epigenetic aging and lower death risk. About 44% of the diet-mortality link was explained by GrimAge, a biological aging clock. But when researchers accounted for physical activity, the diet effect mostly disappeared. Movement may matter as much as the menu.
- NR May Slow Muscle Aging Clocks While Hard Interval Training Speeds Some UpPreliminary2026Aging cellNicotinamide riboside, a popular NAD+ booster, was linked to slower epigenetic aging in muscle across several aging clocks. Surprisingly, high-intensity interval training pushed some of those clocks in the opposite direction, appearing to speed up the pace of aging. The two interventions worked against each other on these markers, which is unexpected and needs more study.
- Big Trial Asks If Fasting or Exercise Can Actually Slow Aging in SeniorsPreliminaryn = 2402026GeroScienceScientists are launching a year-long trial to test whether exercise, time-restricted eating, or both together can slow biological aging. They will study 240 healthy adults aged 65 and up, tracking a DNA-based aging clock called Dunedin Pace of Aging. This is a plan for a study, so there are no results yet. It's worth watching if you're curious how fasting and workouts stack up head to head.
How this map is computed
A mark's size is the number of papers we hold on that pairing. It is a count, not a weighting by study design or sample size.
The fill shows the strongest grade in the cell. One Strong paper among four Preliminary ones still fills it dark, so open the cell to see the rest.
Grades and verdicts are assigned by a named person, never by counting.
An empty cell is a finding: nobody in our library has run that trial yet.