In a recent study testing the effect of exercise on overall metabolism, researchers at Oregon State University found that even one session of moderate aerobic exercise makes a difference in the cells of fit people. other.
Mitochondria are the part of the cell that is responsible for the biological process of mitigation, which converts fuels such as sugars and fats into energy, so the researchers focused directly on mitochondria function.
What we found was that no matter what fuel the mitochondria used, there was a slight increase in the combustion capacity of the fuels. “
Matt Robinson, Principal Author of Research and Associate Professor, College of Public Health and Human Sciences
OSU researchers recruited participants who do not follow regular exercise routines and forced them to ride a stationary bike for an hour at a moderate intensity. They biopsied their muscles 15 minutes later to test the effectiveness of the mitochondria after completing the exercise and compared these results with a day of rest.
After exercise, study participants mitochondria burned 12-13% more fat-based fuel and 14-17% more sugar-based fuel. While the effects weren’t terrible, they were consistent, Robinson said.
“It’s amazing that even after just an hour of exercise, these people were able to burn a little more fuel,” he said.
Previous research in the field has shown that regular exercise creates a lasting change in people’s metabolism, causing their bodies to burn more energy even when they are not working out.
Preliminary studies have looked at well-trained or athletic people, but Robinson’s team wanted to focus specifically on single exercise cycles in people who were generally active and disease-free but had no regimens. structural exercise. These individuals had low end fitness, which is associated with low mitochondrial abundance and energy production. Participants were monitored while working out at approximately 65% of maximum effort, where they were able to maintain cycling speed for an hour or more and still have a conversation. going.
Robinson said they hope these results will help break down the mental barrier of people who think they need to be great athletes for exercise to affect their health.
“From a big picture health perspective, it’s very encouraging for people to realize that you get the health benefits of one exercise session,” Robinson said. why not try to do two? We’ll do three. “
“We know exercise is good for you, in general. But the benefits of that exercise seem to subside after a day or two. You get the long-term benefits when you do that exercise again. and again and again you do it is a regular habit. “
In this study, the Robinson research team placed a narrow focus on mitochondria to determine the extent to which mitochondria play a role in the overall function of muscle metabolism. Other studies look at changes in blood flow to the muscle and how the muscle metabolizes fat against sugar.
From a disease perspective, Robinson said it is clear that obesity and diabetes are caused by deficiencies in metabolism. Physically, when the body is exercising, sugar tends to burn off first while fat is stored, but in cases of diabetes and obesity, there is some dysregulation in metabolism that causes the body to be unable to switch between the two types of fuel.
Exercise can help restore that system, he said.
“Because those are burned in the mitochondria, our hope is that, with exercise, we can elevate the mitochondria and then improve how the body burns fat and sugar. , “he said.
Other recent and ongoing studies at OSU are examining whether high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions can be modified in a specific way by which fat is burned in the mitochondria, and how some proteins in the surrounding muscle fat until stored or burned.
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Magazine Reference:
Newsom, SA, et al. (2021) Substrate-specific relief of isolated skeletal muscle Mitochondria after 1 h of moderate cycling in sedentary adults. Medicine & Science in Sport & Exercise. doi.org/10.1249/MSS.000000000000002615.