Healthcare experts recommend exercise as a way to combat everything from excess weight and heart disease to diabetes and stress. And now a new study suggests exercise actually keeps cells more youthful and may also help prevent some common age-related diseases.

According to WebMD, researchers measured the length of telomeres, which are the DNA on either end of thread-like chromosomes, in animal and human subjects of the study. They say that longer telomeres protect the chromosomes that carry genes during cell division. Each time a cell divides, telomeres get shorter. And, when telomeres get too short, cells can no longer divide and they die.

Researchers involved with the study found that professional athletes had longer telomeres than healthy non-exercisers of the same age. In fact, people who engaged in the most exercise had telomeres of similar length to inactive people up to 10 years younger.

In an animal study, mice who ran on a wheel were protected from cell death as well.

Healthcare professionals say that individuals don’t need to undertake a professional athlete’s exercise program to see the anti-aging benefits. After three months of regular exercise, individuals can expect to have a higher oxygen capacity, Dr Barry Franklin of the American Heart Association told WebMD.