Study Reveals the Genetic Secrets of Exercise: Crazy Ways it Can Change Your Body and Brain

Research has shown that exercise aids in enhancing bodily and brain functions.

Studies on mice investigating the influence of exercise on body and brain function at a cellular genetic level were published in Nature and Aging Cell.

Exercise offers numerous health benefits, including muscle strengthening, improved heart health, and blood sugar regulation. Regular physical activity also relieves stress, improves mood, and enhances cognitive function, thus promoting brain health. However, some past studies suggest intense exercise could negatively impact the brain and physical health.

Researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine studied the effects of endurance exercise on body tissues at a cellular and molecular level using mice as test subjects.

The study lasted eight weeks, during which the research team collected approximately 10,000 experimental data from 20 mice body tissues.

The study results showed that the gene expression patterns in mitochondria, often called the cell’s energy factories, changed in mice that participated in endurance exercise. In particular, genes that were underexpressed in the skeletal muscles of type 2 diabetes patients were found to be overexpressed in the mitochondria of the exercised mice.

Furthermore, genes that were underexpressed in the livers of patients with liver cirrhosis were also overexpressed in the mitochondria of the exercised mice.

The researchers explained that these results indicate that endurance exercise improves liver health and muscle function.

Furthermore, the research team investigated whether there were differences in the body’s response to exercise between male and female mice. Despite doing the same amount of exercise, male mice saw a 5% decrease in body fat, while female mice saw no change. The fundamental reason for this difference was found in the expression patterns of mitochondrial genes.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that exercise influences the expression patterns of mitochondrial genes, thereby improving various body functions.

Meanwhile, researchers from the University of Queensland in Australia investigated the effects of exercise on brain function at a genetic level using mice.

The study found that the gene expression patterns of microglia, immune cells in the central nervous system, changed in mice that exercised. The gene expression patterns of these cells shifted from those of aged cells to those of younger cells.

Moreover, the research team experimented to observe the effects of exercise on hippocampal function in mice by depleting microglia. The researchers explained that a brain depleted of microglia resembles an aged brain.

The study found that the creation of new nerve cells in the mice that exercised increased in the hippocampus, a brain area responsible for memory, learning, and emotions.

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that exercise reverses brain aging and positively impacts brain function.