Abstract
Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, as it helps maintain a healthy weight and reduces the risk of chronic diseases. We explored the effects of lifelong exercise and aging on rat metabolism through a metabolomics approach. Thirty-six rats were divided into four equal groups: exercise during the 1st half of life (3–12 months), lifelong exercise (3–21 months), no exercise, and exercise during the 2nd half of life (12–21 months). Exercise consisted in swimming for 20 min, five times a week. Blood samples collected at 3, 12, and 21 months of life were analysed by 1H NMR spectroscopy. The groups that exercised during the 2nd half of life weighed less than the groups that did not. Exercise had an orexigenic effect during the 1st half and an anorexigenic effect during the 2nd half. Multivariate analysis showed a clear discrimination between ages when groups were treated as one and between the exercising and non-exercising groups at 12 months. Univariate analysis showed many effects of aging and some effects of exercise on metabolites involved in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. Especially during the 1st half, exercise had anabolic effects, whereas aging had catabolic effects on amino acid metabolism. In two cases (glycine and succinate), exercise (especially during the 1st half) mitigated potentially harmful effects of aging. The higher values of succinate and the lower values of lactate during the 1st half in the exercising groups suggest increased oxidative metabolism. In conclusion, moderate-intensity exercise for life or half-life had strong and potentially healthful effects on body weight and (partly) appetite, as well as on some blood metabolites. The effects of aging on the rat blood metabolome seemed to be stronger than those of exercise.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, AT, upon request.
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This work was supported by the IKY Fellowships of Excellence for Postgraduate Studies in Greece—Siemens Program.
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All procedures were in accordance with the European Union regulations for care and use of laboratory animals. Additionally, all procedures were approved by the Department of Rural Economy and Veterinary Medicine, Prefecture of Central Macedonia, Hellenic Republic (Code no. EL54BIO10, Protocol no. 449161/4835).
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Tzimou, A., Benaki, D., Nikolaidis, S. et al. Effects of lifelong exercise and aging on the blood metabolic fingerprint of rats. Biogerontology 21, 577–591 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-020-09871-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-020-09871-1