Suppression of the aging-associated decline in physical performance by a combination of resveratrol intake and habitual exercise in senescence-accelerated mice.

The decline in physical performance with increasing age is a crucial problem in our aging society. We examined the effects of resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound present in grapes, in combination with habitual exercise on the aging-associated decline in physical performance in senescence-accelerated prone mice (SAMP1). The endurance capacity of SAMP1 mice undergoing an exercise regimen (SAMP1-Ex) decreased over 12 weeks whereas that of SAMP1 mice fed 0.2% (w/w) resveratrol along with exercise (SAMP1-ExRes) remained significantly higher. In the SAMP1-ExRes group, there was a significant increase in oxygen consumption and skeletal muscle mRNA levels of mitochondrial function-related enzymes. These results suggest that the intake of resveratrol, together with habitual exercise, is beneficial for suppressing the aging-related decline in physical performance and that these effects are attributable, at least in part, to improved mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle.