The Effects of an 8-Week Resistance-Interval Training on the Telomere Length, Telomerase Activity, and TRF2 Expression in Sedentary Young Men

Physical activities and increased physical fitness have always been recognized as a possible factor in the reduction of diseases and the related mortality. The telomere length is considered as a major cell age biomarker and is connected with diseases. The current study was conducted aimed at examining the effects of an 8-week resistance-interval training on the telomere length, telomerase activity, and TRF2 expression in sedentary young men.

In a semi-experimental experiment, 20 sedentary male students from the Islamic Azad University of Eslamshahr were selected and randomly assigned to the two groups of training (N=10) and control (N=10). The training protocol consisted of the concurrent interval and resistance trainings, with each session consisted of two steps. The first step was an interval training consisted of running on a treadmill, and the second one was related to a resistance training that was performed. Blood samples were taken half an hour before the first exercise and 24 hours after the last exercise, with 10 ml of blood taken from the brachial vein of each subject. Independent and dependent t-tests were used for the data analysis.

The findings of present study demonstrated that an 8-week resistance-interval training prevented the telomere length shortening (t=3.87, p=0.022) and increased the telomerase activity (t=5.107, p=0.000). In addition, TRF2 levels (t=2.463.87, p=0.014) increased significantly compared to the pre-exercise condition.

The concurrent exercises increased the telomere length and telomerase activity of the subjects significantly. It seems that the exercises can have a favorable effect on telomere biology and the quality of life. The results indicated the importance of regular physical activities and consequently the reduced risk of diseases associated with aging.