Effect of physical activity and exercise on telomere length: systematic review with meta-analysis
Abstract
PURPOSE: To compare a physically active lifestyle or structured exercise program to physically inactive lifestyle or control groups on telomere length (TL). METHOD: We searched PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, and Open Gray databases up to March 31, 2020. We calculated standardized mean differences (SMD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) of TL comparing physically active to physically inactive individuals and exercise intervention to control groups. Risk of bias was judged using the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for Non-randomized Studies (RoBANS) for physical activity (PA) studies and the Cochrane risk-of-bias (RoB2) for exercise intervention studies. Certainty of evidence was judged using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). RESULTS: We included 30 studies (24 assessing the effects of PA and 6 assessing the effects of exercise interventions) comprising 7418 individuals. Physically active individuals had longer telomeres (SMD = 0.70, 95% CI 0.12-1.28, very-low certainty), especially in middle-aged individuals (SMD = 0.90, 95% CI 0.08-1.72, very-low certainty) and when considering only athletes (SMD = 0.54, 95% CI 0.18-0.90, very-low certainty). Trim-and-fill analyses revealed that most of the pooled effects were overestimated. Exercise interventions did not yield any significant effect on TL. CONCLUSION: There is very-low certainty that physically active individuals have longer telomeres with a moderate effect, but this effect is probably overestimated.
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The effects of physical activity and structured exercise interventions on telomere length have been inconsistent, and differences in study design, duration, cell/tissue types, and measurement methods prohibit consensus.
“In terms of telomere length, the effects of physical activity and structured exercise interventions have been inconsistent. Differences in study design, duration, cell/tissue types analyzed, and the methods used to measure telomere length prohibit consensus, as highlighted in a recent systematic review (16).”
From Exercise Counters the Age-Related Accumulation of Senescent Cells (2022) · cites this paper as [16]
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Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 88 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
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Codd, V., Denniff, M. J., Swinfield, C. E., Warner, S., Papakonstantinou, M., Sheth, S., Nanus, D. E., Budgeon, C. A., Musicha, C., Bountziouka, V. P., et al. (2022) · Nature Aging · doi:10.1038/s43587-021-00166-9 · Cited by 237 · see citing works
The multifaceted benefits of walking for healthy aging: from Blue Zones to molecular mechanisms
Ungvari, Z., Fazekas-Pongor, V., Csiszar, A., & Kunutsor, S. (2023) · GeroScience · doi:10.1007/s11357-023-00873-8 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
Major depression and the biological hallmarks of aging
Lorenzo, E. C., Kuchel, G. A., Kuo, C., Moffitt, T. E., & Diniz, B. S. (2022) · Ageing Research Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.arr.2022.101805 · Cited by 129 · see citing works
“senescence markers (Englund et al., 2021; Valente et al., 2021) and has shown a significant benefit as an adjuvant for MDD treatment and prevention (Bellon et al.”
BackgroundBountziouka, V. P., Musicha, C., Allara, E., Kaptoge, S. K., Wang, Q., Angelantonio, E. D., Butterworth, A. S., Thompson, J. R., Danesh, J., Wood, A., et al. (2022) · The Lancet Healthy Longevity · doi:10.1016/s2666-7568(22)00072-1 · Cited by 77 · see citing works
Exercise Counters the Age-Related Accumulation of Senescent Cells
Zhang, X., Englund, D. A., Aversa, Z., Jachim, S. K., White, T. A., & LeBrasseur, N. K. (2022) · Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews · doi:10.1249/jes.0000000000000302 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
“Differences in study design, duration, cell/tissue types analyzed, and the methods used to measure telomere length prohibit consensus, as highlighted in a recent systematic review (16).”
MethodPhysical Activity on Telomere Length as a Biomarker for Aging: A Systematic Review
Schellnegger, M., Lin, A. C., Hammer, N., & Kamolz, L. (2022) · Sports Medicine - Open · doi:10.1186/s40798-022-00503-1 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Dempsey, P., Musicha, C., Rowlands, A., Davies, M., Khunti, K., Razieh, C., Timmins, I., Zaccardi, F., Codd, V., Nelson, C., et al. (2022) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-022-03323-x · Cited by 33 · see citing works
You, Y., Wang, D., Ding, H., Wang, W., Liu, Q., Zhang, D., Chen, Y., & Ma, X. (2025) · Journal of Exercise Science & Fitness · doi:10.1016/j.jesf.2025.03.004 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“47 This uncertainty mainly stemmed from several differences in the methods used across the analyzed studies.”
Effect of a lifestyle intervention on telomere length: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Buttet, M., Bagheri, R., Ugbolue, U. C., Laporte, C., Trousselard, M., Benson, A. C., Bouillon‐Minois, J., & Dutheil, F. (2022) · Mechanisms of Ageing and Development · doi:10.1016/j.mad.2022.111694 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
Denham, J. (2023) · Aging Cell · doi:10.1111/acel.13836 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“…could account for observations from epidemiological studies that indicated a positive or inverted ‘U' relationship between physical activity and telomere length, mainly in leukocytes (Denham, O'Brien, & Charchar, 2016; Ludlow et al., 2008; Mundstock, Zatti, et al., 2015; Valente et al., 2021).”
BackgroundGenetic and clinical determinants of telomere length
Allaire, P., He, J., Mayer, J. E., Moat, L. F., Gerstenberger, P., Wilhorn, R., Strutz, S., Kim, D. S. L., Zeng, C., Cox, N. J., et al. (2023) · Human Genetics and Genomics Advances · doi:10.1016/j.xhgg.2023.100201 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Zhu, J., Yang, Y., Zeng, Y., Han, X., Chen, W., Hu, Y., Qu, Y., Yang, H., Valdimarsdóttir, U. A., Fang, F., et al. (2023) · The Journals of Gerontology Series A · doi:10.1093/gerona/glad064 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“…activity on TL was weak mainly due to the high risk of publication bias, different study populations, differences in physical activity and TL measurements, and insufficient control for important confounders such as comorbidities, other life-style factors, and genetic determinants of TL (38).”
Therapeutics That Can Potentially Replicate or Augment the Anti-Aging Effects of Physical Exercise
Lages, A. D. S., Lopes, V., Horta, J., Espregueira‐Mendes, J., Andrade, R., & Rebelo‐Marques, A. (2022) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms23179957 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
“Although telomerase plays an important role in slowing down the telomere attrition, the effect of physical activity and exercise are still not consistently demonstrated [59].”
BackgroundSelf-citationExercise as a Therapy to Maintain Telomere Function and Prevent Cellular Senescence
Kim, J., Ahn, A., Ying, J. Y., Hickman, E., & Ludlow, A. T. (2023) · Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews · doi:10.1249/jes.0000000000000324 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
“Several other reports have replicated this “inverted U” finding (32), whereas others have either observed a linear relationship between exercise amount (33,34), or no relation between telomere length and exercise amount (35,36).”
BackgroundGürel, S., Pak, E. N., & Tek, N. A. (2024) · Current Nutrition Reports · doi:10.1007/s13668-024-00529-9 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
“A recent meta-analysis that included 30 studies (7418 individuals) has found that physically active participants had longer telomeres than sedentary participants (SMD = 0.70, 95% CI 0.12–1.28, very low certainty) [17 •• ].”
BackgroundInfluentialExercise regulates shelterin genes and microRNAs implicated in ageing in Thoroughbred horses
Mandal, S., Denham, M. M., Spencer, S. J., & Denham, J. (2022) · Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology · doi:10.1007/s00424-022-02745-0 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
“Since long-term exercise training is associated with telomere maintenance in numerous rodent tissues [27, 49, 50] and long leukocyte telomeres in humans [31, 47], the shelterin responses identified after a single bout of exercise in the present study may play an important role in this process.”
BackgroundEffect of Physical Exercise on Telomere Length: Umbrella Review and Meta-Analysis
González, J. L. S., Sánchez-Rodríguez, J. L., González‐Sarmiento, R., Navarro‐López, V., Juárez‐Vela, R., Pérez, J., & Martín‐Vallejo, J. (2024) · JMIR Aging · doi:10.2196/64539 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Baliou, S., Spanakis, M., Apetroaei, M.-M., Ιωάννου, Π., Fragkiadaki, P., Fragkiadoulaki, I., Renieri, E. A., Vakonaki, E., Tzatzarakis, M. N., Nosyrev, A. E., et al. (2025) · World Academy of Sciences Journal · doi:10.3892/wasj.2025.344 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Is physical fitness associated with leucocyte telomere length in youth with type 1 diabetes?
Muñoz‐Pardeza, J., López‐Gil, J. F., Huerta‐Uribe, N., Hormazábal‐Aguayo, I., Ojeda‐Rodríguez, A., del Moral, A. M., Izquierdo, M., & García‐Hermoso, A. (2024) · Pediatric Research · doi:10.1038/s41390-024-03732-0 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Tilekli, M. M., Yılmaz, A. K., Yasul, Y., Çon, N., Mercan, S., & Tek, N. A. (2024) · Experimental and Molecular Pathology · doi:10.1016/j.yexmp.2024.104947 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Zhou, H., Jin, B., Liao, Y., Hu, Y., Li, P., YangLha, T., Liu, Y., Xu, J., Wang, B., Zhu, M., et al. (2023) · Journal of the American Medical Directors Association · doi:10.1016/j.jamda.2023.08.002 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Pesca, C., Lo Iacono, L., & Carola, V. (2025) · European Journal of Psychotraumatology · doi:10.1080/20008066.2025.2521152 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
“Moreover, TL could be influenced by other factors, such as lifestyle habits (Valente et al., 2021), unhealthy habits (Espinosa-Otalora et al., 2020), and specifical other events in life such as bereavement (Seiler et al., 2020), separation (Whisman et al., 2016) or a difficult love relationship…”
The impact of childhood maltreatment on telomere length in cocaine use disorder
Pesca, C., Iacono, L. L., & Carola, V. (2023) · Journal of Substance Use · doi:10.1080/14659891.2023.2239345 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“…also be required to include the important group of healthy subjects with CM. Finally, other factors might influence TL, such as physical activity (Valente et al., 2021), socio-economic status (Robertson et al., 2013), unhealthy habits (Espinosa-Otalora et al., 2021), and current life stress…”
Exercise to combat cancer: focusing on the ends
Denham, J., Bliss, E., Bryan, T. M., O’Brien, B. J., & Mills, D. E. (2024) · Physiological Genomics · doi:10.1152/physiolgenomics.00075.2024 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Xiang, M., Pilling, L. C., Melzer, D. R., Kirk, B., Duque, G., Liu, R., Kuchel, G. A., Wood, A. R., Metcalf, B. S., Diniz, B. S., et al. (2023) · GeroScience · doi:10.1007/s11357-023-00890-7 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“Plausible mechanisms underlying the association between shorter LTL and CHD include oxidative stress [15], chronic inflammation [16], and endothelial cell senescence [17, 18], which may be reduced by physical activity [8, 19, 20].”
BackgroundThe Relationship Between Telomeres, Cognition, Mood, and Physical Function: A Systematic Review
Sheikh-Wu, S. F., Liang, Z., & Downs, C. A. (2022) · Biological Research For Nursing · doi:10.1177/10998004221132287 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
“Results are conflicting as the intensity of physical activity varies across studies (Mundstock et al., 2015; Song et al., 2022; Tucker, 2017; Valente et al., 2021).”
BackgroundDo the telomere ends justify the physical means?
Pignolo, R. J., & Johnson, F. B. (2021) · Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · doi:10.1111/jgs.17443
“In the article “Effect of physical activity and exercise on telomere length: systematic review with metaanalysis,” Valente et al.(2) assessed the effects of physical activity (PA) or structured exercise (vs.”
BackgroundInfluentialSaffari, I., Saghebjoo, M., Hedayati, M., Sarir, H., & Dimauro, I. (2022) · Middle East Journal of Rehabilitation and Health Studies · doi:10.5812/mejrh.121818
FERRARA, L., JOKSIMOVIĆ, M., & D’Angelo, S. (2024) · Journal of Physical Education and Sport · doi:10.7752/jpes.2024.06150
Effect of physical exercise on telomere length: An umbrella review and meta-analysis (Preprint)Preprint
González, J. L. S., Sánchez-Rodríguez, J. L., González‐Sarmiento, R., Navarro‐López, V., Juárez‐Vela, R., Pérez, J., & Martín‐Vallejo, J. (2024) · doi:10.2196/preprints.64539
Zhao, X., Shi, Y., & Tang, M. (2025) · Aging Clinical and Experimental Research · doi:10.1007/s40520-025-03176-4
Commentary: Extracurricular physical activity as an early biological investment
García‐Hermoso, A., & Ezzatvar, Y. (2026) · Pediatric Research · doi:10.1038/s41390-025-04730-6
“2,5 These reviews emphasize inconsistencies in how physical activity is measured and how telomere length is quanti fi ed, underlining the need for studies like this one to clarify whether associations observed in adults are already detectable in early childhood.”
Lee, K.-H., Song, K.-J., & Shin, Y.-A. (2026) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines14061396
“Meta-analytic evidence suggests that physically active individuals, particularly athletes, possess significantly longer telomeres than sedentary controls (SMD = 0.54, 95% CI 0.18–0.90) [13].”
InfluentialExercise as a Longevity Matrix: A Narrative Review
Arabzadeh, E., Rostamkhani, F., Shirvani, H., & Wong, A. (2026) · SN Comprehensive Clinical Medicine · doi:10.1007/s42399-026-02764-3
“Exercise may attenuate telomere attrition through reduced oxidative stress and telomerase activation [ 19, 20 ].”
- Authors
- Valente, C., Andrade, R., Alvarez, L., Rebelo‐Marques, A., Stamatakis, E., & Espregueira‐Mendes, J.
- Affiliations
- Espregueira Mendes Clinic (PT)
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Dpto. Producción y Sanidad Animal, Salud Pública Veterinaria y Ciencia y Tecnología de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera Valencia Spain
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Valente, Cristina
- ORCID
- Venue
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2021-06-23
- Volume
- 69
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 3285-3300
- ISSN
- 0002-8614 (ISSN-L)
- 1532-5415
- OpenAlex
- W3174787274
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 88
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 0.90
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rehabilitation › Exercise and Physiological Responses
- Keywords
- telomere length, physical activity, exercise intervention, physical inactivity, aging, middle-aged adults, athletes, biological aging
- MeSH terms
- Humans, Exercise, Bias, Telomere, Sedentary Behavior
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