A few minutes of relatively strenuous exercise can dramatically change a person’s DNA, experiments have revealed. The changes affect the chemicals which activate, silence and crank up genes and their actions. In the case of muscle, exercise appears to crank up the genes needed to burn fat and sugar and support the body. Just 20 minutes of pedalling flat out on an exercise bike makes a difference, the journal Cell Metabolism reports. Researcher Juleen Zierath, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said: ‘We often say that you are what you eat. Well, muscle adapts to what you do. ‘If you don’t use it, you lose it and this is one of the mechanisms that allows this to happen.’ Professor Zierath and colleagues from Denmark and Dublin began with two experiments in which healthy men who didn’t take exercise regularly were put through their paces on an exercise bike. After they stopped, slivers of muscle were taken from their thigh and the DNA analysed for chemical changes. This revealed that changes occur after just minutes. However, gentle exercise won’t do. The person needs to be out of breath and, while able to speak, to have difficulty in carrying on a conversation. Further experiments on cells in the test-tube linked the changes to the contraction of muscle. Coffee had a similar effect. But, unfortunately for those who would choose a cappuccino over a trip to the gym, it takes 50 to 100 strong coffees to mimic the effect of exercise on muscles.
GMT 13:50 2018 Tuesday ,30 October
Emergency surgery saves life of touristGMT 13:20 2018 Monday ,29 October
National campaign to raise awareness of breast cancerGMT 14:34 2018 Friday ,19 October
Birth spacing "improving health of Omani women"GMT 15:35 2018 Thursday ,11 October
Russia to discuss issue of biological labs near its bordersGMT 16:14 2018 Saturday ,29 September
Premier Khalifa bin Salman congratulated by health ministerGMT 16:10 2018 Saturday ,29 September
Bahrain to host Dermatology, Laser and Aesthetics ConferenceGMT 12:44 2018 Friday ,28 September
EU proposes €40 million for UNRWA to keep health clinics openGMT 07:46 2018 Wednesday ,26 September
HRH Premier to address UN high-level health meetingsMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor