“The science of ageing: The most important factors affecting biological age and the role of digital diagnostics (fact and fiction)” is the title of a talk held by Dr Lutz Graumann, doctor of sports medicine, chirotherapy and nutritional medicine and author of fitness books. This lecture will kick off the first day of the 12th MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE. For Graumann, it seems obvious that lifestyle measures affect biological age. In his opening lecture, he explores how biological age can be measured in a multidimensional way and what is particularly constructive in this regard.
Sleeping well is a key factor
The effect of sleep on health is quite well documented. University lecturer Dr Alen Juginovic from the Harvard Medical School’s Department of Neurobiology will expound on this topic. For instance, sleep quality affects cognitive function, immune response and the prevention of chronic illness. Juginovic’s study on the negative influence of inadequate sleep on professional football players at Real Madrid attracted a lot of attention in this context.
The issue of which training to recommend will also be put to the test at the MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE, of course. Epigenetics, the – mostly natural – changes to the DNA in the body’s cells and the associated long-term switching on and off of genes could provide an explanation for the long-term effects of physical activity. Professor Wilhelm Bloch of the Institute of Cardiology and Sports Medicine of the German Sport University Cologne deals with this topic. His conference presentation on Wednesday during MEDICA will go into the special role of epigenetics with regard to longevity.
Sport as an anti-inflammatory
Inflammation also plays a role in the ageing process. What can we do to reduce inflammation in the body? Dr Moritz Völker-Albert of MOLEQLAR analytics will tackle this topic in his lecture on epiproteomic analyses for customised training management in competitive and grassroots sport. Here, nutritional supplements come into play once again.
In any case, organs such as the liver and heart as well as tissue – for example adipose tissue – produce exerkines during physical activity, which could explain the anti-inflammatory effect of exercise. However, many questions regarding the signal pathways and forms of movement, intensity and duration of physical activity, for example, still remain unanswered. Dr Wouter Vints, a specialist in rehabilitation medicine at Maastricht University, will present the current state of knowledge in his lecture in the afternoon on 13 November (starting at 3 p.m.). In a session on the following morning (14 November), internationally renowned sport medicine specialist Dr Christian Schneider and Professor Oliver Werz, Department Head of the Chair of Pharmaceutical/Medicinal Chemistry at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, will demonstrate the new understanding of the connection between inflammation and peak performance.
And what are the benefits of training the brain? Professor Claudia Voelcker-Rehage of the University of Münster will address this topic on the first day of the conference (13 November) and touch upon the concept of neuroplasticity. In addition, Professor Thorben Hülsdünker of LUNEX in Luxembourg will also cover the principles of brain training from the perspective of sports and neuroscience. In short, the 12th MEDICA MEDICINE + SPORTS CONFERENCE It will provide extensive insight into the state of knowledge on the subject of longevity and what factors constitute major or minor influences on lifespan for each of us.
The future of competitive sport with high-tech and expertise
Of course, the event in Düsseldorf will also feature “classic” issues of sports medicine, such as how to achieve outstanding athletic performance while preventing injuries as far as possible. The Californian “P3” project is considered visionary for its performance measurement. Eric Leidersdorf is its Director of Biomechanics and heads assessment and research initiatives that use force plates and 3D motion capture technology in order to develop individualised training programmes. “Peak Performance Project – Optimising performance based on experience working with more than 800 NBA players” is the title of his talk, which he will hold at the conference session on Thursday morning, 14 November. After Dr Christian Schneider and Professor Oliver Werz have discussed the importance of inflammation in peak performance, Professor Patrick Wahl of the German Sport University Cologne will explain how metabolic and neuromuscular profiling can be used to individually customise training for swimmers.
