A long time ago I learned from Dr. Bob Rakowski that for most people, health decline starts with just 1 extra pound of body fat.
In a recent study conducted by Brazilian researchers, they compared the telomere length and levels of oxidative stress between master athletes and sedentary individuals. As anticipated, the findings revealed that athletes possess longer telomeres and more favorable oxidative profiles.
But even more interesting, between athletes, the higher the body fat, the lower the telomer length, and the higher the levels of oxidative stress.
Paraphrasing Dr. Rakowski, body fat makes you age faster.
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Reference:
J Strength Cond Res. 2021 Jun 1;35(6):1693-1699. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002932.