Multi-million grant to strengthen healthy ageing through exercise

As we age, we lose muscle mass and the body’s ability to produce energy declines. This increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other metabolic disorders. In a new research project, Kristian Vissing and his research group will examine why older individuals often find it more difficult to achieve the same benefits from exercise as younger people.

In this context, the researchers will take a closer look at mitochondria, which function as the powerhouses of the cell, and investigate whether they can retain a memory of previous training. In younger individuals, muscles are able to preserve a form of biological memory that enables them to adapt more quickly to new training. The question is whether this memory diminishes with age.

“We will investigate whether ageing impairs the muscles’ ability to respond to exercise, and whether specific forms of training can restore some of the lost effect in older men and women,” explains Kristian Vissing.

DKK 15 million of the grant will be allocated to the research project itself, including the employment of early-career researchers and laboratory analyses. The remaining DKK 2 million will be used to establish a Nordic research network on metabolic ageing.

The project is being carried out in collaboration with Professor Tinna V. Stevnsner from the Department of Molecular Biology & Genetics at Aarhus University and Professor Adam Sharples from the Norwegian School of Sport Sciences. The aim is to generate knowledge that can form the basis for more targeted exercise programmes and new strategies to help more people achieve a healthier old age.

Contact

Associate Professor Kristian Kjær Vissing
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
Telephone: +45 61 77 91 07
Email: vissing@ph.au.dk