HOW DOES CYCLING AFFECT LONGEVITY?
From RoadBikeRider.com
QUESTION:Now that I’m into my 70s, my wife is urging me to give up cycling. She’s fearful that I’m overdoing it. But I feel good, and I think cycling contributes to that. What evidence of benefits of continuing to cycle into my senior years can I tell her about? —Anonymous
RBR’S STAN PURDUM REPLIES:Well, a big benefit is that cycling often has a positive impact on longevity. So if you continue cycling, there’s a good chance that you will help her avoid early widowhood.
One study from 2018, published in the journal Aging Cell, followed 125 long-distance cyclists into their later years, and found that exercise in advanced age can prevent the immune system from declining and thus protect riders against infections.
Another study, this one from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2002, did not look at cycling specifically, but instead examined how aging stereotypes affect self-perception and survival. It noted that age stereotypes are adopted long before someone actually becomes old. As a result, younger people tend to accept these stereotypes without questioning them, and by the time they reach old age, these beliefs are deeply internalized.
The upshot is that we should not be too quick to buy into the age stereotypes such as these common ones:
- Older people are frail and weak – Many assume aging inevitably leads to physical decline, but plenty of older adults remain active and strong.
- Older adults are resistant to change – This stereotype suggests that older individuals struggle with new technology or ideas, though many embrace lifelong learning.
- Older workers are less productive – Some believe that aging reduces workplace efficiency, despite evidence showing that experience often enhances productivity.
- Older adults are lonely and isolated – While social circles may shift with age, many older individuals maintain strong relationships and active social lives.
- Older people always have memory declines – While cognitive changes can occur, many older adults retain sharp memory and mental agility.
- Older people don’t contribute to society – This stereotype ignores the valuable contributions older adults make through mentoring, volunteering, caring for the later generations and leadership.
- Older people are sexually inactive – 34% of 18-64-year-olds assume this but only 21% of people over 65 say this is their experience.
These stereotypes can shape self-perception and even impact longevity.
What’s more, a study published by The Wall Street Journal found that many negative stereotypes about aging are unfounded and that to age well, we should change how we feel about aging.
The aforementioned study from the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP) concludes that up to 75% of longevity is influenced by non-genetic factors, like behavior and mindset, and found that people who have a more positive attitude about aging tend to live longer.
When dividing study participants into two groups based on their attitudes about aging, the study found that the more positive group lived about 7.6 years longer on average, and that even after adjusting for factors like gender, loneliness, health, and socioeconomic status, the results remained the same: having a positive perception of aging was linked to a lower risk of death.
A further part of the JPSP study showed that a strong will to live — defined as “a judgment that the perceived benefits of one’s life outweigh the perceived hardships” — plays a positive role in extending one’s lifespan.
To return to the aging cell study, it compared 125 older adults (ages 55–79) who had stayed physically active through cycling with 75 similarly aged adults who were not regularly active, plus 55 young adults who did not exercise regularly. The study found that:
- Cyclists had more fresh, functional immune cells compared to inactive older adults, and their levels were similar to those of young adults.
- Cyclists had higher amounts of IL-7 (a substance that supports thymus function) and lower IL-6 (which contributes to thymus shrinkage).
- Cyclists showed fewer signs of immune aging, including better balance of certain immune cells that help regulate inflammation.
Overall, that study suggests that while staying active may not stop all aspects of aging-related immune decline, it has a positive impact on much of it.
You may want to spend some time contemplating all of this, but perhaps the best way to do that is while mounted on your bike and pedaling for all you’re worth.