‘Mamils’ age more slowly

LONDON: They might have to put up with being dismissed as “middle-aged men in Lycra”. But it seems so-called “Mamils” have the last laugh – with evidence showing that older male cyclists age more slowly. They may also avoid the “male menopause”, a drop in testosterone blamed for fatigue, low libido and depression among older men. Researchers at Birmingham University and King’s College London studied amateur cyclists who had used a bike for an average of 26 years. The 125 cyclists – male and female, aged 55 to 79 – were compared with 75 healthy people aged 57 to 80, and 55 healthy young adults aged 20 to 36. The male cyclists had to be able to cycle 100km in six-and-a-half hours. Older people lose about 2% of muscle mass a year, meaning a third of muscle is usually gone by the age of 70. But the muscle mass of older cyclists was the same as for people in their twenties, the study found. And the testosterone levels of the male pensioners who cycled were similar to those of the average middleaged man, suggesting they had avoided the “male menopause”. The male and female cyclists also appeared to be less vulnerable to infections. The findings were published in the journal Aging Cell. – Daily Mail