Exercise reduces inflammation

Exercise can lower inflammation.

Inflammation causes almost all modern diseases

Inflammation seems to be the cause of all degenerative diseases like cancer, diabetes, coronary artery disease and Alzheimer's.

For the majority of our readers who won't check out the validity of the above link, the source comes directly from the Harvard Health Medical Website. I would recommend giving the article a read-through if you want a more detailed, scientific explanation about how inflammation causes the four diseases mentioned above.

Current research points us to the fact that inflammation could cause almost all non-communicable diseases.

Inflammation starts off as the immune response to an issue within the body. Science discovers different pathways that inflammation uses to affect our physical state almost every day.

Inflammation at healthy levels is actually good for you. It protects you from infections and prevents you from hurting yourself even more when you scrape your knee or overdo it at the gym. This refers to acute inflammation because it comes when it is needed and goes when its job is done.

Chronic inflammation, on the other hand, is not healthy. It is basically an inflammatory response that doesn't switch off. It's always on.

This has many, various, detrimental effects on the body. The body can't enter a solid state of rest and recovery to heal from the inflammation and return to normal. Inflammation can cause the body to attack its own tissues - like in the case with autoimmune diseases.

Chronic inflammation is like a war the never stops - even when there aren't any bad guys to fight.

Chronic inflammation is unhealthy.

Exercise reduces inflammation

One of the many benefits of exercise is its ability to reduce chronic inflammation. Inflammation goes down as soon as you start exercise - regardless of the intensity or duration. A light, 5 minute stroll is enough to reduce chronic inflammation to some degree.

The anti-inflammatory effects of exercise increase with intensity and duration. A light, 5 minute stroll might decrease your total inflammation; but a faster walking pace at 10 or 15 minutes will be even better. 

Your body will improve its natural ability to reduce inflammation as your over fitness level improves.

This fitness challenge is a fantastic way to enhance your total fitness levels within 30 days.

The benefits start on the first minute.

20 Minutes of moderate exercise reduces inflammation by 5%

Exercise is shown to suppress the inflammatory response in this study.

Researchers found that 20 minutes of moderate exercise on a treadmill lead to a 5% decrease in inflammation.

How does exercise reduce inflammation?

1. Exercise lowers inflammation by activating the sympathetic nervous system.

2. Exercise suppresses inflammation by stimulating epinephrine (adrenaline) and nor-epinephrine.

There are different explanations to why exercise lowered inflammation, according to the above study.

Too much rest will kill you.

1. Exercise lowers inflammation by activating the sympathetic nervous system

Exercise activates the sympathetic nervous system, which then down-regulates the inflammatory response.

It makes sense that your body would spend less energy on internal battles if there are external battles to face instead. You can't run away from a lion or chase down your next meal if most of your energy is tied up with internal processes.

This might explain why exercise lowers inflammation in the long term - living organisms need to fight for survival. If there is no external fight for survival, your body could bring the fight inwards.

Inflammation is part of the body's healing and repairing process. This happens when we aren't spending vital energy on other external activities. Too much time without physical challenges or physical activity may, theoretically, put us in the parasympathetic (resting) state for so long that the body ends up creating issues of its own.

It's as if the pendulum swings too far in the opposite direction without physical activity to balance out extended periods of rest.

Maintain balance.

2. Exercise suppresses inflammation via adrenergic receptors

Test tube studies (as per the above study) observe that epinephrine (also known as adrenaline) and nor-epinephrine prevent TNF (inflammatory molecules).

The study discusses how adrenergic receptors prohibit inflammation via exercise. Adrenergic receptors refer to the way that the body uses neurotransmitters like adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Inflammation is a natural part of immune function. The body produces inflammatory cells to protect itself against pathogens that cause disease. 

These inflammatory cells declare a state of war throughout the body so that your tissues become inhabitable by germs. The problem is that healthy cells will also die off if this inflammatory state goes too far.

Exercise stops the production of these inflammatory cells, and one of the ways that it does this is through adrenergic receptors. 

Exercise increases your body's need for physical energy. Hormones like adrenaline and noradrenaline are up-regulated in order to create this physical energy. This lowers inflammation.

In order for physical energetic processes to switch on, other processes need to be switched off. This maintains a state of balance in your body - like how you only shiver when you are cold and you only sweat when you are hot. You only produce certain inflammatory cells when you are at rest.

Your body won't produce certain inflammatory cells when adrenergic receptors are stimulated. When adrenergic receptors are stimulated, inflammation is turned off so that more energy is dedicated to performing whatever physical task needs to get done.

If adrenergic receptors aren't stimulated through exercise often enough, inflammatory pathways are turned on for too long. This leads to an accumulation of inflammation that causes disease.

Exercise more. Suffer less.

Cold therapy can increase the anti-inflammatory effects of exercise

It is interesting to see that epinephrine production (from exercise) scientifically suppresses inflammation.

This explains why cold therapy is so effective at speeding up muscle recovery (because cold temperatures trigger epinephrine release as well).

You can therefore increase your anti-inflammatory efforts by adding cold therapy to your exercise regime. Stay Strong!

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