Exercise and Fitness > Dramatic Health Benefits After Just One Exercise Session
They suspected that for several hours after exercise more fatty acids entering the muscle will be stored as IMTG, thus keeping them from turning into more harmful metabolites that are known to cause insulin resistance. Essentially, this means that exercise may cause you to store more fat in your muscles, but in doing so your insulin sensitivity improves.
Researchers studied eight lean female subjects and infused fat into their bloodstream to increase fatty acid to levels commonly found in obesity. The subjects were admitted to the hospital for this two-day procedure on two separate occasions. On the first day of one hospital stay, they exercised for 90 minutes at 75 percent of maximum heart-rate; on the other visit, they remained inactive.
With all other conditions being equal, researchers found that during the nonexercise visit, the fat infusion reduced insulin sensitivity to levels commonly found in obese people.
However, they found that during the exercise visit, not only did the exercise prevent the impairment in insulin sensitivity, but it increased insulin sensitivity by about 25 percent over their base levels. The researchers also found that the exercise session had diverted more fatty acids to be stored as IMTG than without exercise, and as a result fewer fatty acids were available to become the harmful metabolites known to impair insulin sensitivity.
"We believe this describes a primary mechanism for how exercise improves insulin sensitivity in obesity," Horowitz said.
The study findings also highlight the important metabolic health benefits of a single exercise session.
"Some of the key health benefits of exercise are not related to improved fitness but instead, the residual effects from the most recent exercise sessions are most important," he said.
If this is correct, then getting a regular so-called dose of exercise may be much more important than your level of physical fitness. How hard the exercise dose must be in order for an obese person to reap the benefits, and how long the effects last remains unknown. Horowitz and his research team are addressing these issues.
They suspected that for several hours after exercise more fatty acids entering the muscle will be stored as IMTG, thus keeping them from turning into more harmful metabolites that are known to cause insulin resistance. Essentially, this means that exercise may cause you to store more fat in your muscles, but in doing so your insulin sensitivity improves.
Researchers studied eight lean female subjects and infused fat into their bloodstream to increase fatty acid to levels commonly found in obesity. The subjects were admitted to the hospital for this two-day procedure on two separate occasions. On the first day of one hospital stay, they exercised for 90 minutes at 75 percent of maximum heart-rate; on the other visit, they remained inactive.
With all other conditions being equal, researchers found that during the nonexercise visit, the fat infusion reduced insulin sensitivity to levels commonly found in obese people.
However, they found that during the exercise visit, not only did the exercise prevent the impairment in insulin sensitivity, but it increased insulin sensitivity by about 25 percent over their base levels. The researchers also found that the exercise session had diverted more fatty acids to be stored as IMTG than without exercise, and as a result fewer fatty acids were available to become the harmful metabolites known to impair insulin sensitivity.
"We believe this describes a primary mechanism for how exercise improves insulin sensitivity in obesity," Horowitz said.
The study findings also highlight the important metabolic health benefits of a single exercise session.
"Some of the key health benefits of exercise are not related to improved fitness but instead, the residual effects from the most recent exercise sessions are most important," he said.
If this is correct, then getting a regular so-called dose of exercise may be much more important than your level of physical fitness. How hard the exercise dose must be in order for an obese person to reap the benefits, and how long the effects last remains unknown. Horowitz and his research team are addressing these issues.
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