Health Benefits of Exercise

Abstract

Overwhelming evidence exists that lifelong exercise is associated with a longer health span, delaying the onset of 40 chronic conditions/diseases. What is beginning to be learned is the molecular mechanisms by which exercise sustains and improves quality of life. The current review begins with two short considerations. The first short presentation concerns the effects of endurance exercise training on cardiovascular fitness, and how it relates to improved health outcomes. The second short section contemplates emerging molecular connections from endurance training to mental health. Finally, approximately half of the remaining review concentrates on the relationships between type 2 diabetes, mitochondria, and endurance training. It is now clear that physical training is complex biology, invoking polygenic interactions within cells, tissues/organs, systems, with remarkable cross talk occurring among the former list.

Figure 1.

Simplistic overview of how physical activity can prevent the development of type 2 diabetes and one of its complications, cardiovascular disease. Physical inactivity is an actual cause of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and tens of other chronic conditions (Table 1) via interaction with other factors (e.g., age, diet, gender, and genetics) to increase disease risk factors. This leads to chronic disease, reduced quality of life, and premature death. However, physical activity can prevent and, in some cases, treat disease progression associated with physical inactivity and other genetic and environmental factors.

Figure 2.

Figure provides an illustration of myokine production by skeletal muscle for actions within or at a distance. Myokine release promotes a high degree of intertissue cross talk. CNTF, Ciliary neurotrophic factor; OSM, oncostatin M; IL, interleukin; BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; VEGF, vascular endothelial growth factor. (From Schnyder and Handschin 2015; reprinted, with permission, courtesy of PMC Open Access.)