Wheel running
7 papers10 findings
- 6 independent labs in 3 countries
- 1 finding against
- Funders: National Institute on Aging and others
- Humans1
- Animals6
Outcomes
7Lifespan
no changein rats1upin rats1
1 study
Lifespan
no changein rats1upin rats1
Wheel running has no effect on lifespan in rats.
“without increasing maximal life span.”
AnimalsCompared with sedentary controlsrunning wheelmales
Interaction between exercise and food restriction: effects on longevity of male rats
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)1 Apr 1991
Wheel running extends lifespan in rats (978 ± 172 versus 875 ± 175 days (SD)).
“wheel running improved average length of life, 978 +/- 172 vs. 875 +/- 175 (SD) days, for the sedentary controls (P less than 0.01)”
AnimalsCompared with sedentary controlsrunning wheelmales
Interaction between exercise and food restriction: effects on longevity of male rats
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985)1 Apr 1991
Memory
upin mice1
1 study
Memory
upin mice1
Wheel running improves memory in mice.
“Exercised mice showed memory and behavior preservation, as well as increases in brain metabolic fitness and gene modulation.”
Animalsin 5XFAD transgenic AD mice6 months
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)31 May 2026
Cellular senescence
downin mice1
1 study
Cellular senescence
downin mice1
Wheel running decreases cellular senescence in mice.
“Both exercised 5XFAD mice and veteran sportsmen showed improved proteasomal status and decreased expression of senescence genes.”
Animalsin 5XFAD transgenic AD mice6 months
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)31 May 2026
Ubiquitin–proteasome system
upin mice1
1 study
Ubiquitin–proteasome system
upin mice1
Wheel running improves ubiquitin–proteasome system in mice.
“Both exercised 5XFAD mice and veteran sportsmen showed improved proteasomal status and decreased expression of senescence genes.”
Animalsin 5XFAD transgenic AD mice6 months
Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)31 May 2026
Mortality
downin M. domesticus1
1 study
Mortality
downin M. domesticus1
Wheel running decreases mortality in M. domesticus.
“exercise per se is beneficial for control mice of both sexes”
Animalsin control mice
Evolution; international journal of organic evolution1 Jul 2006
Proportion of light activity
downin mice1
1 study
Proportion of light activity
downin mice1
Wheel running decreases proportion of light activity in mice.
“Run-wheel experience increased overall activity and decreased proportion of light activity, but did not alter rhythm amplitude or period.”
Animals
Circadian rhythms in SAMP8: a longitudinal study of the effects of age and experience
Neurobiology of aging1 Jan 2004
Overall activity
upin mice1
1 study
Overall activity
upin mice1
Wheel running increases overall activity in mice.
“Run-wheel experience increased overall activity and decreased proportion of light activity, but did not alter rhythm amplitude or period.”
Animals
Circadian rhythms in SAMP8: a longitudinal study of the effects of age and experience
Neurobiology of aging1 Jan 2004
Associations
2DNA methylation
upin mice1
1 study
DNA methylation
upin mice1
Wheel running is associated with DNA methylation in mice.
“wheel running for 13 months caused muscle DNA methylation differences in the promoter regions of numerous muscle fiber-enriched genes”
Animalswith satellite cellsskeletal muscle13 monthsfemales
FASEB journal : official publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology6 Mar 2025
Aging-related genes
mixedin rats1
1 study
Aging-related genes
mixedin rats1
Wheel running is associated with aging-related genes in rats.
“wheel running significantly altered the expressions of aging-related genes in the hippocampus”
Animalscompared to the control grouphippocampusfour weeks
Exercise-induced expression of genes associated with aging in the hippocampus of rats
Neuroscience letters24 Jan 2024