Inflammatory modulation of exercise salience: using hormesis to return to a healthy lifestyle

[Arnie Pye]

Title : Inflammatory modulation of exercise salience: using hormesis to return to a healthy lifestyle

Link : https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1743-7075-7-87

Paper is open access.

Abstract

Most of the human population in the western world has access to unlimited calories and leads an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. The propensity to undertake voluntary exercise or indulge in spontaneous physical exercise, which might be termed "exercise salience", is drawing increased scientific attention. Despite its genetic aspects, this complex behaviour is clearly modulated by the environment and influenced by physiological states. Inflammation is often overlooked as one of these conditions even though it is known to induce a state of reduced mobility. Chronic subclinical inflammation is associated with the metabolic syndrome; a largely lifestyle-induced disease which can lead to decreased exercise salience. The result is a vicious cycle that increases oxidative stress and reduces metabolic flexibility and perpetuates the disease state. In contrast, hormetic stimuli can induce an anti-inflammatory phenotype, thereby enhancing exercise salience, leading to greater biological fitness and improved functional longevity. One general consequence of hormesis is upregulation of mitochondrial function and resistance to oxidative stress. Examples of hormetic factors include calorie restriction, extreme environmental temperatures, physical activity and polyphenols. The hormetic modulation of inflammation, and thus, exercise salience, may help to explain the highly heterogeneous expression of voluntary exercise behaviour and therefore body composition phenotypes of humans living in similar obesogenic environments.

I thought that bits and pieces of this paper might be of interest to some people here.

Exercise salience is defined here :

The propensity to undertake voluntary exercise or indulge in spontaneous physical exercise, which might be termed "exercise salience", is drawing increased scientific attention.

Later in the paper it states (my bold) :

One field of emerging interest in obesity research is the study of what motivates people to undertake voluntary physical activity, or display spontaneous physical activity. Indeed, understanding its biological basis is an important research goal [1]. This behaviour could be described by a cognitive state that we have termed "'exercise salience". It is therefore essential to determine the factors, genetic and environmental, that regulate a person's exercise salience, in particular to understand what suppresses it. Here, we propose that one such factor is lifestyle-induced chronic subclinical inflammation; markers of the metabolic syndrome include raised hs-CRP (high sensitivity C-reactive protein) and reduced adiponectin [2]. The rationale for this is the well described behavioural change associated with injury and infection, which is commonly known as "inflammatory-induced sickness behaviour" [3].

I am not clear on why the authors restrict the source of any inflammation they consider important to that which is "lifestyle-induced". Surely if inflammation changes people's behaviour then it will do so whether the inflammation is lifestyle-induced or is induced by having the flu or by developing cancer or by having arthritis or gout or by having any other sickness.

I think you might have to pick and choose which bits you like (if any) and which bits you don't. But I thought it might be of interest to someone.

 

[lansbergen]

I am not clear on why the authors restrict the source of any inflammation they consider important to that which is "lifestyle-induced". Surely if inflammation changes people's behaviour then it will do so whether the inflammation is lifestyle-induced or is induced by having the flu or by developing cancer or by having arthritis or gout or by having any other sickness.

Yep

 

[alktipping]

exercise has been the go to since the eighties after all it cost health services and insurance companies nothing .and if the patient cannot exercise back to good health then it is simply their fault .

 

[Mithriel]

I have said before, my parents worked very physically for long hours in a factory for very little and came home exhausted, they certainly never "exercised" as we know it.

My children's generation work long hours for very little sitting at desks in call centres and come home too exhausted to exercise. Neither had much choice of lifestyle

I think long repetitive work in toxic environments is common to both which could well be a source of inflammation as well. It annoys me that everything is made out to be self inflicted when most people just struggle alone doing the best they can.

As you say, take whatever is useful, ignore the rest