Abstract
The effect of long-term exercise on the onset and progression of age-related pathological changes in male and female Wistar rats was studied. Male and female Wistar rats immediately after weaning were assigned to a voluntary wheel running group. Two year exercise reduced the body weight gains of both sexes and improved the survival curves in males.
Histopathologically, the exercise was more effective than freely eating sedentary control in the reduction of chronic nephropathy and anterior adenoma of pituitary, which are major fatal age-related changes in rats. The exercised rats showed low incidences of skeletal muscle fibrosis and mammary tumors. These results suggested that voluntary exercise for 2 years reduced the occurrence of age-related changes, and these effects were related with suppression of body weight gains.
