When we exercise we get tired but, curiously, we also feel more agile, calmer, better. If we submit to this stimulus regularly for a sufficient time, that is, if we train, we come to adapt to this fatigue and, in addition, the positive sensations become chronic, and all this is a consequence of what is happening at an organic level in our tissues and cells.
The optimal dose and type of exercise vary for each person in each situation: age, illness, lifestyle … Hence the difficulty of establishing guidelines that can be applied to the entire population. However, there is a bare minimum for almost everyone. Thus, the World Health Organization generically recommends that every adult (and elderly, as long as their medical limitations do not prevent it) should perform at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic physical exercise weekly or at least 75 minutes of high intensity (or the proportional combination of both). Likewise, international experts recommend doing strength exercises (such as lifting weights) that involve large muscle groups between one and two times a week. In addition, it seems that higher doses of exercise (300 minutes of moderate exercise or 150 of intense exercise weekly) can provide additional benefits on our health.
Benefits for the brain
The adaptation of our tissues to the stimulus of physical exercise is modulated by an infinity of molecular pathways, many times dependent on the organ that we are analyzing. For example, at the brain level, exercise modulates the increase in vascularization and blood flow , increases the levels of neurotrophic factors that cause repair and growth of new neurons, reduces oxidative stress and helps to degrade certain toxic proteins that can give rise to diseases. neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s. At the cardiovascular level, chronic exercise produces anti-inflammatory effects, increased blood flow and vagal tone (which is manifested by a decrease in heart rate), vasodilation (which is translated as a decrease in blood pressure) and a reduction in blood pressure. blood lipid levels, among other benefits.
Prevents cancer
Being physically active also prevents cancer, especially breast and colon cancer, as exercise reduces free sex hormones and certain metabolic hormones, oxidative damage, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, while promoting certain molecules that block the spread of cancer. like SPARC or calprotectin, in addition to stimulating immune function (at least if the exercise is not very intense). On the other hand, exercise is directly linked to the improvement of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes or dyslipidemia. This is so because insulin sensitivity and the muscle’s glucose uptake capacity are promoted, more fatty acids are removed from the bloodstream, and caloric expenditure is increased.
In summary, physical exercise is effective in the treatment and prevention of many diseases that substantially condition our ability to live longer and better.
Helios Pareja and Alejandro Lucía are researchers at the European University. His research group is dedicated to understanding the biological mechanisms by which exercise helps prevent (and even treat) many diseases. In addition, they also study the biological profile of healthy centenarians in order to better understand what ‘healthy aging’ consists of, and analyze whether physical exercise could also help to live a long life free of important diseases. This article has been written in collaboration with the Department of Communication of the European University.
