Mouse on a treadmill
It’s indisputable—exercise is good for you. But on a molecular level, scientists don’t really know why. Published online today in Nature, researchers show for the first time that a cellular housekeeping mechanism, called autophagy, could be the source of the beneficial effects of exercise, including protection against diabetes. Targeting the pathway could mimic the health effects of exercise—all the perks with none of the sweat—and help treat type II diabetes, the authors suggest.
“It’s really a new idea,” said Marc Francaux, who studies the biochemistry of exercise at the Université catholique de Louvain and was not involved in the research. “They use three different transgenic mouse models. It’s really convincing.”
“It provides a fresh look into how exercise produces its benefits,” said Gökhan Hotamisligil, who ...
