Health Benefits of Exercise
- 1Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
- 2Department of Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
- 3Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
- 4Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211
- Correspondence: boothf{at}missouri.edu
Abstract
Overwhelming evidence exists that lifelong exercise is associated with a longer health span, delaying the onset of 40 chronic conditions/diseases. What is beginning to be learned is the molecular mechanisms by which exercise sustains and improves quality of life. The current review begins with two short considerations. The first short presentation concerns the effects of endurance exercise training on cardiovascular fitness, and how it relates to improved health outcomes. The second short section contemplates emerging molecular connections from endurance training to mental health. Finally, approximately half of the remaining review concentrates on the relationships between type 2 diabetes, mitochondria, and endurance training. It is now clear that physical training is complex biology, invoking polygenic interactions within cells, tissues/organs, systems, with remarkable cross talk occurring among the former list.
