Exercise Provides Greater Benefits Than Just Weight Loss
It’s no secret that exercise has a number of health benefits, but a recently study has shown that these go beyond just weight loss and muscle building. “(L)ong before you starts looking the way you want, there are other hidden, more immediate molecular and immunological changes taking place inside your cells,” IFLScience.com
In the study, 20 sedentary people who were at risk of developing diabetes to walk briskly for 45 minutes, 3 times a week, for 8 weeks. While their weight didn’t change, participants lost an average of 6 centimeters off their waist, but “more importantly, there was a reduction in their diabetic risk.” There were also changes in participants’ monocytes (an important immune cell found in the bloodstream). Researchers believe this is what led to a reduction in the participant’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Andrew Thomas of Cardiff Metropolitan University writes that “although you might not see the changes you want immediately, even gentle exercise can make a big difference to the way the body’s cells behave. This means that exercise could have far-reaching health benefits for other inflammatory associated diseases and possibly protect us against aging and cancer too.”
