By 2020, according to studies published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, more than 35 percent of the U.S. population will be age 50 and over\u2014and this age group is expected to double by 2050. A Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health analysis estimates that more than 70 million Americans ages 50 and older currently suffer from at least one chronic illness.<\/p>\n
Investigating ways to protect the body from age-related diseases is a passion for Northern Arizona University physiologist Tinna <\/strong>Traustad\u00f3ttir<\/strong>, associate professor of biological sciences who has spent 14 years studying exercise physiology and aging. Traustad\u00f3ttir recently received a $451,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health for a research project titled \u201cCell Signaling and Resistance to Oxidative Stress: Effects of Aging and Exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n Cell signaling is the means by which cells communicate with each other to coordinate the activities of the body as a whole\u2014including defending against insults and pathogens, growth and the release of hormones. As humans age, cell signaling is disrupted by a chronic increase in oxidative stress, the body\u2019s reaction to the normal utilization of oxygen. This disruption in cell signaling increases the risk for many chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension.<\/p>\n Traustad\u00f3ttir\u2019s research in the field of oxidation-reduction, or \u201credox\u201d biology, aims to pinpoint the specific age-related changes taking place at the molecular level that increase oxidative stress and determine the amount and type of exercise that can help mitigate the effects of oxidative stress on cell signaling.<\/p>\n \u201cOur lab was the first to show that acute exercise increases an important cell signaling protein called Nrf2 in humans,\u201d said Traustad\u00f3ttir, who joined NAU in 2011. \u201cThe decline in the quality of cell signaling may be a normal part of aging, but we believe it can be modulated by lifestyle, including nutrition and physical activity. That\u2019s something this grant will help us hone in on.\u201d<\/p>\n By better understanding the beneficial effects of exercise on cell signaling, Traustad\u00f3ttir believes scientists can develop a prescription involving a specific \u201cdose\u201d of exercise that would improve the body\u2019s reaction to oxidative stress. Improved cell signaling could lower the risk for age-related diseases.<\/p>\n She credits NAU\u2019s Office of the Vice President for Research\u2019s Faculty Grant Program<\/a> and the State of Arizona\u2019s Technology Research Initiative Fund (TRIF) with providing the support needed to do the groundwork that helped her obtain the NIH grant.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very grateful for the opportunities we had because of the internal funding provided by NAU as well as the funding from TRIF,\u201d said Traustad\u00f3ttir, who is the project\u2019s principal investigator.<\/p>\n Kiisa Nishikawa<\/strong>, Regents\u2019 Professor of Biology and director of NAU\u2019s Center for Bioengineering Innovation<\/a> and Derek Sonderegger<\/strong>, assistant professor of mathematics and statistics<\/a>, are co-investigators on the project. Traustad\u00f3ttir will also collaborate with other colleagues in biology, chemistry and physiology.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that age is the main risk factor for a lot of diseases,\u201d Traustad\u00f3ttir said. \u201cRather than studying a specific disease, however, we are studying how to improve the aging process, which will hopefully delay or prevent those diseases downstream.\u201d<\/p>\n Study participants needed
\n<\/em><\/strong>Traustad\u00f3ttir and her team will soon begin recruiting participants for an eight-week exercise intervention study. If you are 60 years of age or older, healthy and are interested in participating, send an email to Tinna.Traustadottir@nau.edu<\/a> to receive more information about the study.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"