Is Endurance Exercise the Fountain of Youth?

I found this article and was floored.  Time to get out my runners again.  Can't hurt to try right?

Endurance exercise on a treadmill prevented premature aging in mice that are genetically disposed to to aging faster. The mouse treadmill workouts were for 45 minutes, three times a week for five months. While the control group of mice showed the expected premature aging, "balding, greying, physically inactive, socially isolated and less fertile," the treadmill mice looked as young and healthy as regular mice.

"Many people falsely believe that the benefits of exercise will be found in a pill. We have clearly shown that there is no substitute for the 'real thing' of exercise when it comes to protection from aging," said Mark Tarnopolsky, principal investigator of the study in a press release from McMasters University. Previous studies with these premature-aging mice tried various drugs and calorie restriction with far less effect.

"I believe that we have very compelling evidence that clearly show that endurance exercise is a lifestyle approach that improves whole body mitochondrial function which is critical for reducing morbidity and mortality," said Adeel Safdar, lead author and a senior PhD student working with Tarnopolsky. "Exercise truly is the fountain of youth."

The mice age faster due to a defect in their mitochondria, which are the cell's powerhouses. As mitochondria age, every cell in the body has less fuel to run on. In humans, this happens as we age and defects pile up in the mitochondrial DNA. Endurance exercise kept the mitochondria youthful in this study.

The amount of exercise that the mice got matches nicely with the exercise recommendations made by health authorities worldwide. Previous human studies have found that regular exercise can give you more healthy, active years.
Source:
Adeel Safdar, et. al. "Endurance exercise rescues progeroid aging and induces systemic mitochondrial rejuvenation in mtDNA mutator mice," PNAS published ahead of print February 22, 2011, doi:10.1073/pnas.1019581108