Hatfield veterinary researcher to study effects of exercise - on people
A Hatfield veterinary researcher has been awarded a major grant to fund research that could have long-term implications for older people who take up tough exercise regimes.
Dr Helen Birch, lecturer in Veterinary Basic Sciences at the Royal Veterinary College in North Mimms, Hatfield, will investigate the effect of ageing in older people; in particular, the effect on their Achilles tendon.
She has been awarded a grant of £97,000 over two years by medical research charity the Arthritis Research Campaign.
"We want to find out if the ability of the cells in the Achilles tendon to maintain the composition of the tissue is made worse by age," explained Dr Birch. "This is an important question in the light of the current vogue that people should continue to exercise to keep healthy as they get older.
"Achilles rupture is especially common in the middle-aged, and as more people continue to exercise into middle and old age to keep healthy, it is important to be able to provide information to medics and to the general public about the effects of age and exercise on this tendon."
Dr Birch added that while much was known about the benefits of exercise on the heart, lungs and muscles of older people, not much was known about its effects on the tendons and ligaments.
Her previous work on horse tendons, which also suffer a high incidence of injuries, showed age-related degenerative change to the flexor tendons of the limb, which was accelerated by high intensity exercise. The current project will use human tissue.
The Arthritis Research Campaign is the fifth biggest medical research charity in the UK, and exists to find the cause of and cure for arthritis and all forms of rheumatic disease. In the past 12 months it raised almost £23m from public donations to fund its extensive research programme.
