Regular physical activity can prevent or reduce the risk of many age-related diseases. The molecular mechanisms underlying these positive effects are still unclear.

A review published in Nature Reviews Endocrinology reports four major studies published in 2016 that provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the protective effects of exercise against a range of diseases including dementia, cancer, obesity and retinal disease.

Cathepsin-B is a contraction-induced myokine that improves memory function. Osteocalcin, produced from bone during exercise, is responsible for the release of IL-6 by the skeletal muscle that has the role of regulating metabolic homeostasis. Exercise can reduce tumor growth in a variety of tumors in mice. Exercise prevents the loss of the brain neurotrophic factor while preserving neuronal function.

Furthermore, by discovering these mechanisms, researchers have opened new fields for the identification of therapeutic targets and development of therapies for the treatment of these disease. A further proof of the fact that exercise is a medicine.

Febbraio, Mark A. “Exercise metabolism in 2016: Health benefits of exercise more than meets the eye!” Nature Reviews Endocrinology 13.2 (2017): 72-74.