Physical Activity – A Cure For Inflammation?

Regular physical activity should be balanced out with an appropriate recovery time so that the body gets the most out of it. I wrote why it is worth being active HERE and HERE. Unfortunately, a lot of people still refuse to spend time actively, which is confirmed by the data of the National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene (NIZP-PZH), which you can read in one of my previous entries (HERE). Should you still have doubts whether it is a good idea to stay active, you may find it convincing that it not only prevents many diseases, but can also be… a medicine! ?

 

Inflammation – Friend or Foe?

Firstly, I would like to highlight the fact that short-term inflammation should not be a concern. It happens e.g. during various types of infections. Inflammation in the body triggers defense responses.

The situation is different if we suffer from chronic inflammation, which gradually weakens our ability to regenerate and defend ourselves, and it is also an independent factor that increases the risk of morbidity and mortality. Inflammation is an inherent part of many diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel diseases, diabetes, obesity, and atherosclerosis. Increased levels of inflammatory markers are also observed in elderly people, whose defense mechanisms are often weakened.

 

How physical activity affects inflammation

Research studies by American scientists from Duke University have shown that human muscle cells have the ability to control inflammation on their own. The researchers used muscle cells grown in the laboratory, which they treated with interferon-gamma, thereby stimulating the inflammatory process that takes place in the human body. As expected, the muscle fibers contracted and weakened.

In the next step, the scientists subjected the weakened muscle to an electric current, which was the equivalent of the physical activity we undertake. It turned out that after some time, such action had a positive effect on muscle cells! A reduction in the debilitating effect and an improvement in muscle condition were observed. Exercise counteracts the harmful effects of gamma interferon.

 

Can a workout be a cure?

Further analysis of the phenomenon described above showed that exercise inhibits exactly the same inflammatory pathway as specific drugs used in the treatment of rheumatoid inflammation. So, can we say that physical activity is a natural medicine? The answer is certainly much more complicated, but it does not contradict the fact that in many cases we can improve our health by taking such simple actions as, for example, regular walks.

Will the prescriptions of the future include recommendations for specific training units tailored to the patient’s needs? There is still a long way to go, but scientific data show that daily, regular physical activity is the right direction. Therefore, I am really happy that time for sport is an obligatory, permanent part of my day. And I encourage you once again to make time for physical activity, too! Especially now, when the weather is becoming more and more beautiful and makes it even easier to take action! Don’t forget about our #FighterSummerChallenge – my new training programs are waiting for you in the Diet and Training by Ann app (you can download it HERE) ?

 

Bibliography:

1. Chen Z, Li B, Zhan RZ, Rao L, Bursac N. Exercise Mimetics and JAK Inhibition Attenuate IFN-γ-induced Wasting in Engineered Human Skeletal Muscle. Sci Adv. 2021; 7(4).
2. Jabłońska MK. Podprogowy przewlekły stan zapalny – przyczyna czy skutek występowania chorób i starzenia się organizmu? Piel. Zdr. Publ. 2015; 5(1):73–79.