Moving is a natural anti-inflammatoryprecious for combating chronic pathologies in which it is present low-grade but persistent inflammation as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases: this was demonstrated by research presented during the last congress of the European Association for the Study of Obesity, according to which moderate physical activity of at least 150 minutes a weeka greatly reduces the amount of various markers of inflammation in those who are obese.
Danish study
The investigation was conducted on nearly two hundred people with obesity who did not have diabetes and, thanks to two months of a very low-calorie diet, they had lost 5 percent of their weight. At that point, after having “lightened” the load on the joints a little, they were able to start training and with the aim of maintaining the weight loss they were divided into four groups, followed for a year: in addition to group that has took a placebosome are train at least 150 minutes a week pedaling on an exercise bike, others have taken over the GLP-1 agonist liraglutide (an antidiabetic with positive effects on appetite and weight), the fourth group he took the drug and trained. The results show that these patients had the best result, losing further weight, while the other types of intervention had led to minimal weight loss (the drug alone), a small weight gain (exercise alone) or regaining half of the kilos lost (those treated with placebo). However, what struck the authors, a group of researchers from the University of Copenhagen, was the effect of movement on markers of inflammation.
Less inflammation
The data shows that exercise reduced blood levels by an average of 31 percent a pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin 6, which is associated with cardiovascular disease, atherosclerosis, and insulin resistance; a 36 percent decline was also recorded for another inflammatory mediator, interferon gamma, which is related to insulin resistance. The reduction of these inflammatory markers is the prerogative of movement alone, in all the other groups no equally evident drops were seen: in the group treated with the drug or the drug-physical activity combination an improvement in the inflammatory markers was observed, but not it was not significantly different from placebo. Signe Torekov, coordinator of the study, stated that «Exercise is the best strategy to reduce chronic low-grade inflammation typical of chronic diseases such as obesity. Moderate or vigorous level physical activity is therefore the best way to help prevent metabolic problems related to obesity, such as insulin resistance which then leads to the development of type 2 diabetes».
