Being a scientist can be a demanding job, and it is important to have strategies for stress alleviation. I exercise, which experience has shown is quite effective in taking my mind off of the next grant deadline. Still, at times it’s difficult to motivate myself to get up at the crack of dawn to exercise before work. That’s when I remember the burgeoning literature that shows exercise is also good for my physical health.
Of particular interest to me is a recent article that suggested a mechanism for the positive metabolic effects of exercise (Nature, 481:511-15, 2012). Surprisingly, this study linked it to autophagy, or the recycling system by which cells engulf and degrade parts of their own cytoplasm. Autophagy has also been linked to the age-slowing effects of reduced calorie intake (Adv Exp Med Biol, 694:47-60, 2010). This latter work indicated that when the body is under caloric stress, ...
