ARISE March Webinar 2022:Exercise and Ageing Health: New Direction and Readiness for Translation

This seminar will discuss results from our studies that investigated the effects of exercise on metabolic and musculoskeletal (MSK) health in the context of ageing health. Although active lifestyle can lower the risk of glucose dysregulation in young and older individuals, the difference in glycemic risk was demonstrated by plasma insulin response, and not by blood glucose concentration. In healthy sedentary individuals, the poorer rate of glucose absorption can be compensated by higher insulin secretion to regulate blood glucose within normal range. This finding has significant implications on the use of fasted blood glucose to assess glycemic risk in healthy individuals and supports the switch to plasma insulin for assessment of glycemic risk before the onset of disease. Our results also showed that the volume of exercise performed weekly is also more important than the mode of exercise in preserving MSK health and functions in older individuals. The mode of exercise performed has greater influence on muscle functions than overall MSK mass. These results support the current evidence and international guidelines advocating the use of exercise as a core public health intervention and as a multi-potent “pill” to prevent and treat common chronic disease.