Many scientific studies support physical exercise as a significant booster of our overall health. But despite the findings of the improvement of our bodies from these activities, the evidence of the link between positive effects of exercise and hunger and obesity is few. A new study looked over the factors at a molecular level to gain more understanding of the correlation.
Metabolites Produced by Physical Activity Linked to Food Intake, Weight Gain
The latest research on exercise and obesity involved the help of mouse subjects. In the experiment, experts gathered data from the animals put to a physical test, particularly in a treadmill workout.
The researchers examined how the animals' cells changed over time between the exercises provided. One of the shifts that gained their attention was the presence of a substance known as Lac-Phe (N-lactoyl-phenylalanine) in the subjects. This compound is a metabolite that is synthesized from lactate and phenylalanine.
Phenylalanine is a type of amino acid that helps the proteins in a system to combine. Lactate, on the other hand, is a popular substance produced by the body whenever it experiences a hard-core physical activity.
According to the findings, the scientists might have discovered an essential pathway in the biology of a system activated through exercise. This pathway also influences the level of appetite in a body and the rate of food it can consume, reports Science Alert.
The additional analysis involved administering Lac-Phe to mice induced with a high-fat diet. Experts found that after 12 hours, the mice ate less than half of what they initially consumed. The energy and movement given off by the subjects remained constant.
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Lac-Phe Solution to Weight Gain, Obesity
Lac-Phe reduced the food intake of the subjects after ten days of observation. The effects led to a decrease in their body weight and an improvement in their glucose tolerance. The positive outcomes from giving the metabolite to the subjects are also the same effects measured in humans when going through weight loss treatments and other approaches that combat obesity-related illnesses.
The interesting detail the authors saw is that the appetite suppression after Lac-Phe was relayed only occurred in mice on a high-fat diet or those who went through physical exercise. The positive results were not recorded from groups that were fed normally.
In other species, the experts also identified the increase of the Lac-Phe metabolite. The rates were prevalent in racehorses, as well as in humans that made a sprint. Further studies are required to tell whether the effects of the substance are similar to what people could get.
The authors said that the results from this molecular experiment could branch out to other biological research, such as those understanding physical activities and their cardiometabolic advantages, as well as those developing treatments for excessive weight gain and obesity.
The study was published in Nature, titled "An exercise-inducible metabolite that suppresses feeding and obesity."
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