The best anti-aging technique could be standing up, scientists believe, after discovering that spending more time on two feet protects DNA.

    A study found that too much sitting down shortens telomeres, the protective caps which sit at the end of chromosomes.

    Short telomeres have been linked to premature aging, disease and early death. So spending less time on the sofa could help people live longer by preventing their DNA from aging.

    The research found that people who were frequently on their feet had longer telomeres, which were keeping the genetic code safe from wear and tear.

    Intriguingly, taking part in more exercise did not seem to have an impact on telomere length.

    Proffessor Mai-Lis Hellenius, from Karolinska University Hospital in Stockholm, said: “In many countries formal exercise may be increasing, but at the same time people spend more time sitting.

    “There is growing concern that not only low physical activity but probably also sitting and sedentary behavior is an important and new health hazard of our time.

    “We hypothesize that a reduction in sitting hours is of greater importance than an increase in exercise time for elderly risk individuals.”

    Telomeres stop chromosomes from fraying, clumping together and “scrambling” genetic code.

    Scientists liken their function to the plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces, and say that lifespan is linked to their length.

    Researchers looked at 49 overweight sedentary adults in their late 60s and measured the length of the telomeres in their blood cells.

    Half of them had been part of an exercise program that lasted six months, while the other half had not.

    Physical activity levels were assessed using a diary and pedometer to measure the amount of footsteps taken each day.

    The amount of time spent sitting down was worked out through a questionnaire.

科学家认为，最好的抗衰老技术可能就是多站一会儿，因为他们发现站立姿势能保护你的DNA。研究发现，长时间坐着会缩短端粒 — 染色体末端的保护帽。

端粒缩短会导致早衰、疾病甚至早逝，因此减少坐在沙发上的时间可以帮助防止DNA老化，延长寿命。研究发现经常站立的人端粒往往更长，可以减少遗传密码磨损。

有趣的是，多锻炼身体似乎对端粒的长度没有影响。

瑞典斯德哥尔摩的卡罗林斯卡大学医院的麦里斯•海勒纽斯教授说：“许多国家，人们参与正式锻炼也许越来越多，但同时人们坐着的时间也越来越长。”

“引起越来越多担忧的不仅仅是体育锻炼时间少，久坐行为也是我们这个时代新的重大健康隐患。”

“我们认为对于高风险老龄人群来说，减少坐着的时间比增加运动时间更重要。”

端粒能够避免染色体磨损、凝结、“扰乱”遗传密码。科学家将端粒的功能比作鞋带的塑料头，称寿命长短与端粒长短相关。

研究人员观察了49名六十大几岁的肥胖久坐人士，并测量了他们血液细胞中的端粒长短。他们中一半的人参与锻炼计划至少六个月，另一半则没参加。

研究人员通过日记以及步程计来测量他们每天走了多少步，以此来评估身体活动水平。而坐着的时间则通过调查问卷来统计。

【端粒】

duānlì

telomere

the segment of DNA that occurs at the ends of chromosomes

【坐着的】

zuòzhe de

sedentary

characterized by a sitting position