Exercise releases myokines from skeletal muscles

This article was initially published on May 16, 2019. It has been updated. What is Cytokine? Cytokines are signaling proteins. Think of cytokines as text messages from one organ to another organ. The signal may be a ‘yes,’ “no,’ ‘make some more” (positive feedback loop), or that’s enough (negative feedback loop). The signals may be…

How to Get Physically Active

Starting a bonfire with damp wood can be challenging, and it is like asking a sedentary person to start an exercise program. Where I grew up, this huge mango tree gave us lots of fruits during the summertime. I used to sweep our front yard daily to clean up the dried leaves and burn them…

What are Exerkines?

Why do I need to read this? To have a better understanding of why exercise is the benchmark therapy for chronic diseases like metabolic syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. Exerkines Exerkines are substances released from the skeletal muscles and other organs like the fat (adipokines), liver (hepatokines), brain (neurokines), and kidneys, (nephrokines)…

How Does Exercise Prolong Life?

  There is a dose-response relationship between physical activity and length of life. The more and vigorous the movement, the longer the life. That was the topic of Physical Activity Correlates with Life Span. The more powerful the movement, the longer the life. So how does the body do that? How can movement and exercise make…