Using exercise physiology to understand human ageing

Ageing alters almost every physiological system, yet the mechanisms that drive functional decline — and the reserve that protects against it — remain incompletely understood. Exercise is among the most powerful physiological perturbations available to researchers: it stresses the neuromuscular, cardiovascular, endocrine, and metabolic systems in controlled, measurable ways. This makes exercise physiology a uniquely informative lens on how the human body ages, adapts, and can be maintained across the lifespan. Studying acute responses and chronic adaptations to exercise in older adults — and in populations who age unusually well or poorly — offers a route to the molecular, cellular, and systemic processes that underpin human ageing.This Research Topic aims to use exercise as an experimental probe rather than only as an intervention, clarifying the mechanisms by which ageing reshapes physiological responses to exercise. We seek to identify determinants of preserved versus declining function, including physiological reserve of successful-ageing phenotypes and the vulnerabilities of unsuccessful ageing. We also aim to strengthen the methodological foundations of the field by advancing robust, validated, and remote or wearable-supported measurement suited to older populations. By bringing together translational muscle-ageing science, applied lifespan human physiology, and modern measurement methods, the collection will build a mechanistic and integrated picture of how exercise physiology can explain human ageing and inform strategies to extend healthspan.We welcome submissions providing in-depth, mechanistic insight into physiological responses and adaptations to exercise in the context of ageing, at molecular, cellular, and systemic levels in humans and, where mechanistically relevant, complementary models. Themes include: • mechanisms of age-related loss of muscle mass and function and the basis of exercise-induced adaptation• neuromuscular, cardiovascular, endocrine, and metabolic adjustments to exercise across the adult lifespan and between sexes• the physiology of master athletes and other successful-ageing models; endocrine and biomarker signatures of ageing and their modulation by physical activity• adaptations to exercise under challenging conditions such as hypoxia or heat as stress tests of ageing physiology• new or validated methodologies, including wearable- and mHealth-enabled measurement. We invite Original Research, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Systematic Reviews, Methods, Hypothesis and Theory, and Perspective articles. Descriptive or performance-focused studies without a mechanistic physiological basis fall outside the scope.Topic Editor Dr. Bradley Elliott received funding from the Altitude Centre for contract research on physiological performance research. Dr. Bradley Elliot holds shares in, and acts as a scientific consultant to, Instance.life. Dr. Bradley Elliot also receives philanthropic gifted funding from private individuals vetted via the University of Westminster’s Major Donors’ scheme. All other Topic Editors declare no competing interests with regard to the Research Topic subject. Topic editors: Bradley Elliott, Lawrence D Hayes Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84070/using-exercise-physiology-to-understand-human-ageing