# Exercise Linked to Younger Biological Age, But Effect Is Modest

*Physical activity and biological age measured by DNA methylation clocks: a systematic review and meta-analysis.*

- **Evidence Level**: Moderate
- **Publication Types**: Journal Article
- **Journal**: The lancet. Healthy longevity
- **Sample Size**: 145,465 adults across 44 studies
- **Authors**: Shan J, Tay JH, Wang W, Tan R, Joshi R, Maier AB, Feng L
- **Published**: 2026-05-04
- **Topics**: exercise, epigenetic clock, biological age
- **DOI**: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanhl.2026.100835
- **Original Source**: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42068988/

## Summary

Pulling 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.

## Practical Takeaway

This study suggests staying physically active may be associated with a slightly younger biological age on certain epigenetic clocks.

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_Canonical: https://longevity-austria.com/en/research/exercise-linked-to-younger-biological-age-but-effect-is-modest · Part of Longevity Cities · Updated 2026-05-04_