Study Finds New Enzyme Linked With Exercise And Improving Health

Jan, 2022 - By SMI

Researchers found a new enzyme activated by exercise could be a new target for potential drugs to protects against some of the effects of aging

Exercising regularly generally helps to maintain a healthy life at any age. However, keeping an active lifestyle with aging is also equally important. A group of researchers at Monash University, Australia discovered an enzyme that is responsible for improved health after exercising. According to the research published in the journal Science Advances on December 15, 2021, promoting the activity of this enzyme with drug could defend the metabolic health from effects of aging including type 2 diabetes.

The research was designed to investigate one of the effects of physical lethargy in older people caused by development of resistance toward insulin, where the body cells stop responding to insulin and absorbing glucose as they normally should causing build-up of glucose in the blood. The insulin resistance is related to obesity and it is a key factor in the development of type2 diabetes. The scientists conducted experiments on mice and found that a new enzyme called as NOX4 is responsible for the process of improvement in metabolic health after exercising. The team noticed that the levels of NOX4 were increased after exercise boosting the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and defended the mice from development of insulin resistance. These ROS levels drive the adaptive responses important for the beneficial effects of exercise.

Moreover, the research also demonstrated that NOX4 concentrations in skeletal muscles are linked to declining insulin sensitivity and aging. Furthermore, NOX4 could be a potential target to boost its activity and maintaining metabolic health in aging people. The scientists noted that a lot more work will be required to bring these findings into therapeutic practices.