Abstract: Biological aging isn’t the same for everyone, lifestyle leaves fingerprints, even in our proteins. A study on 45,438 UK Biobank participants found that a higher proteomic aging score (ProtAgeGap) is tied to less physical activity and greater risk of Type 2 diabetes. In a 12-week supervised exercise trial (MyoGlu, 26 men), ProtAgeGap dropped by 10 months’ worth of biological age. Most of the 204 proteins stayed steady, but some like CLEC14A shifted, aligning with better insulin sensitivity. Transcriptomic data from muscle and fat backed this change, highlighting PI3K-Akt and MAPK pathways — the body’s repair and remodeling engines.
The takeaway? Aging signals in biobanks may look “fixed,” but exercise can nudge them backward, offering a measurable, modifiable biomarker for metabolic health.
Source Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41514-025-00318-w
