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  "path": "/2026/05/12/weekly-activity-slows-ageing-not-exercise-28336890/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-12T15:26:00.000Z",
  "site": "https://metro.co.uk",
  "tags": [
    "Health",
    "Lifestyle",
    "Arts",
    "exercise",
    "Fitness",
    "Sweating it out at the gym",
    "Botox",
    "ageing gracefully",
    "London",
    "fashion",
    "honest review",
    "Oxford Academic Innovation in Aging",
    "PCOS has been renamed in a ‘landmark’ move to improve women’s health",
    "Everything you need to know about the hantavirus as another Brit is diagnosed",
    "Doctors warn the UK could see an STI surge — here’s the reason why",
    "Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source"
  ],
  "textContent": "It’s fun and sweat-free (Picture: Getty Images)\n\nLuxurious skincare. Sweating it out at the gym. Botox.\n\nWhile there’s something to be said for ageing gracefully, we all take steps to slow down the clock — with varying degrees of success.\n\nBut now, a new study has found a surprising habit that can put the breaks on ageing, and it doesn’t involve any cardio.\n\nIt turns out that taking an interest in arts and culture can be an effective way to scientifically cheat time.\n\nVisiting a museum, admiring some art, or having a sing-song, can all lead to helping you stay biologically younger.\n\nThe research by the University College London used blood samples from 3,556 UK adults to come to their conclusions.\n\nParticipants were asked if they had undertaken any of the following activities in the last 12 months:\n\n  * Singing\n  * Dancing\n  * Painting\n  * Photography\n  * Attending an art exhibition or event\n  * Visiting a heritage site (historic park, building or monument)\n  * Going to a museum, library or archives\n\n\n\nThose who undertook one of these activities at least once a week were able to slow the ageing process by 4%.\n\nThese results were the same as those who exercised at least once a week, compared to those who did no exercise (so don’t thrown those trainers in the bin just yet).\n\nAnd, on average, those who engaged in arts and culture were a year younger biologically than those who rarely enjoyed the same pursuits.\n\n##  Take a trip to London’s new V&A East Museum\n\nAt a cost of £135,000,000, the new brand of the V&A in London’s Stratford is finally open, after taking 10 years to build.\n\nIntended to attract new audiences and rooted in the neighbourhood’s industrial, creative heritage, it’s a far cry from the original V&A’s grandiose building.\n\nIts two permanent galleries, titled Why We Make, span two floors and explore creativity in all its forms, spanning art, architecture, design, performance, and fashion.\n\nPlus, the museum launched with a temporary exhibition on Black British music, which traces how Black British music has shaped British culture from 1900 to the present day, while mapping its global influence.\n\nInterested? Metro went along, to see if the new V&A was worth the wait. Check out our honest review, here.\n\nProfessor Daisy Fancourt, the lead author of the study, which was published in the Oxford Academic Innovation in Aging, wrote within the research: ‘This study provides the first evidence that engaging in arts and cultural activities is associated with a slower pace of biological ageing, with benefits similar to physical activity.’\n\nThe results were so stark, that researchers said the results were comparable to the difference previously found between current smokers and ex-smokers.\n\nIt is worth noting that slower ageing doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll live longer, though.\n\nFun _and_ good for your health (Picture: Getty Images/Maskot)\n\nThe study used seven different ‘epigenetic clocks’ to determine the speed of aging, these are tools that read chemical patterns on your DNA.\n\nWhile the researchers pointed out that ‘ageing clocks are not without controversy; and that ‘there is no gold standard for measuring epigenetic\nbiological ageing’, arts and culture activity was related to a slower pace of ageing on three of the seven clocks.\n\nResearchers also add that their results show arts and culture as a ‘potential contributor to healthy ageing at a biological level, supporting its inclusion in public health strategies.\n\n##  More health news from Metro\n\n  * PCOS has been renamed in a ‘landmark’ move to improve women’s health\n  * Everything you need to know about the hantavirus as another Brit is diagnosed\n  * Doctors warn the UK could see an STI surge — here’s the reason why\n\n\n\n**Do you have a story to share?**\n\n**Get in touch by emailingMetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.**\n\nComment now Comments \nAdd Metro as a Preferred Source on Google\nAdd as preferred source\n",
  "title": "The weekly activity that ‘slows down ageing’ — and it’s not exercise"
}