Knowing the metabolic changes occurring during physical activity would help the development of new therapies for diseases such as obesity and diabetes
The benefits of sport are well known: maintain body weight, prevent diabetes and cardiovascular diseases and protect the immune system. But what happens to the body when in vigorous movement? Why is it so good sports and what benefits people without risk of disease? A recent paper delves into the human body's metabolic changes to provide answers to these questions.
Metabolic changes are based on biochemical reactions in living organisms that allow the exchange of matter and energy with the outside. Playing sports is an example of this, because it causes changes in metabolism that promote and protect the cardiovascular system diseases such as diabetes. From a chemical standpoint, exercise promotes changes in the body, how to produce certain substances, reduce the amount or other specific reasons for the activation of regulators. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (USA) have studied some of these variations in order to draw a map of metabolic changes explain, explicitly, the benefits of physical activity.
Experts, who have published their findings in the journal "Science Translational Medicine, say that a better understanding of the metabolic changes could help identify the health effects of exercise in individuals with cardiovascular problems like without them. Furthermore, it could identify new therapeutic targets. In other words, the control of all the variations that occur during sports would balance the metabolic states so as, among others, contribute to obesity or diabetes.
Changes in blood
Ten minutes of intense exercise are sufficient to produce beneficial changes in the body that last up to one hour
Scientists have a first set of changes still to be completed, as yet unknown metabolic changes all induce the sport. They have been defined both for moderate to intense sport, and to determine the duration of effect: 10 minutes of intense exercise are sufficient to produce beneficial metabolic changes that can last up to an hour, the study concludes. This result, although not definitive, supports the idea of the benefits of sport in frequent short periods to maintain health. Or what is the same: support the recommendations of moderate physical activity every day average.
The results also show that the fitter a person is more effect it has on your body sports, because the changes are beneficial. The experiments were based on the study of blood components during physical activity. Was conducted with healthy adults, marathon runners and people without a good physical condition. The results showed changes in 20 metabolites during and after activity. The metabolites are chemical compounds whose circulation in blood indicates rapid activation of metabolic reactions (catabolic program).
This twenty metabolites behave differently. Some are only active in sports, while others dramatically increase their levels (related to the burning of fat) or reduced (those associated with cellular stress). Another important finding is the detection of a factor, "nur 77, metabolites that activate the" upset "during the exercise. This factor controls glucose and lipid metabolism.
Working with marathon runners, who covered an average of 50 minutes, showed what happens when physical activity is intense. Apart from confirming the same results as those found in healthy adults without physical fitness (increased fat metabolism), the scientists also identified lower levels of amino acids, which shows that "nur 77" is used as energy source maintain adequate glucose levels.
Work to do
This study confirms not only the benefits of exercise, but presents it as an action itself. When you get to list all the metabolic changes that occur in the body may be used as therapy to prevent or treat certain diseases. For this reason it is essential to maintain good fitness, sport does not mean intensely. Just moderate exercise daily.
To achieve this in adulthood, we must inculcate the habit of sport in childhood and adolescence. The latest Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity published by the European Union shows that Spanish youths between 15 and 24 are those most practiced sport (28%), above the European average (19%). The problem lies elsewhere: 42% of the entire Spanish population claims never to play sports.
ENCOURAGE THE DEFENSES
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For the benefits of sport should join immune system stimulation in young and during childhood. A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of California (USA) has found that exercise increases, the time when the body's defenses still develops, the number of white blood cells and NK cells ( Natural Killer, Natural Killer cells).
NK cells are a type of lymphocyte that belongs to the immune system, circulate in the blood and defend the body against development of cancer cells and infections caused by microorganisms such as viruses, bacteria and parasites. Although previous studies have confirmed this benefit in adults, it is believed that sport too can have the opposite effect. The reason is that exercise training associated with high level (elite athletes) to low levels of antibodies and increased risk of viral infections. However, the practice of moderate exercise strengthens the immune system.
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