Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine and Stanford found a molecule in the blood that is produced during exercise can effectively reduce food intake and obesity.
The findings improve the understanding of the processes that underlie the interplay between exercise and hunger.
The research is published in Nature and was conducted by Dr. Yong Xu et al.
Regular exercise has been proven to help weight loss, regulate appetite and improve the metabolic profile, especially for people who are overweight and obese.
In the study, the team wanted to understand how exercise works at the molecular level to be able to capture some of its benefits.
For example, older or frail people who cannot exercise enough, may one day benefit from taking a medication that can help slow down osteoporosis, heart disease, or other conditions.
The team conducted comprehensive analyses of blood plasma compounds from mice following intense treadmill running.
The most strongly induced molecule was a modified amino acid called Lac-Phe.
It is synthesized from lactate (a byproduct of strenuous exercise that is responsible for the burning sensation in muscles) and phenylalanine (an amino acid that is one of the building blocks of proteins).
The team found in mice with diet-induced obesity (fed a high-fat diet), a high dose of Lac-Phe suppressed food intake by about 50% compared to control mice over a period of 12 hours without affecting their movement or energy expenditure.
When administered to the mice for 10 days, Lac-Phe reduced cumulative food intake and body weight (owing to loss of body fat) and improved glucose tolerance.
The researchers also identified an enzyme called CNDP2 that is involved in the production of Lac-Phe and showed that mice lacking this enzyme did not lose as much weight on an exercise regime as a control group on the same exercise plan.
Interestingly, the team also found robust elevations in plasma Lac-Phe levels following physical activity in racehorses and humans.
Data from a human exercise cohort showed that sprint exercise induced the most dramatic increase in plasma Lac-Phe, followed by resistance training and then endurance training.
This suggests that Lac-Phe is an ancient and conserved system that regulates feeding and is associated with physical activity.
The team’s next steps include finding more details about how Lac-Phe mediates its effects in the body, including the brain.
If you care about wellness, please read studies about how to improve my motivation to exercise when I really hate it, and these exercises could help reduce fatty liver disease.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about fruit extract that may reduce muscle soreness by nearly 50% after exercise, and results showing this type of exercise may protect your bone health, slow down bone aging.
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