Health & Medicine

Exercise Help Release Hormone That Sheds, Prevents Fat

Johnson D
First Posted: Oct 04, 2016 04:48 AM EDT

Everybody wants to be healthy, however not a lot is motivated to exercise. Maybe, this research led by a researcher from the University of Florida may help you find your motivation to start exercising. Apparently, the study found that exercise releases a hormone that helps the body shed fat and prevents it from forming.

A University of Florida Health researcher led a group to learn more about how the hormone irisin aid in the conversion of calorie-storing white fat cells into brown fat cells that is burned for energy.  According to Science Blog, researchers explained that irisin, which usually mounts up when the heart and other muscles are exerted, can also curb the formation of fatty tissues.

The findings, published recently in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology, and Metabolism, show that irisin may be a potential target for fighting obesity and diabetes, said Li-Jun Yang, M.D., a professor of hematopathology in the UF College of Medicine's department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine. The study is also believed to be the first of its kind to analyze the mechanisms of irisin's effect on human fat tissue and fat cells, researchers said.

For the study, researchers gathered fat cells given by 28 patients who underwent breast reduction surgery.  After introducing irisin to the samples, they found about a fivefold increase in cells that contain a protein called UCP1, which is important in "burning" fat. "We used human fat tissue cultures to prove that irisin has a positive effect by turning white fat into brown fat and that it increases the body's fat-burning ability," Yang said, reported news.ufl.edu.

It was also stated in the report that Yang and those working with her found that irisin also has the ability to suppress fat-cell formation. Among the fat tissue samples test, irisin decreased the number of mature fat cells by about 20 to 60 percent compared to those in the control group. This led researchers to conclude that irisin reduces fat storage in the body by blocking the process that converts undifferentiated cells into fat cells, while also helping the stem cells' to differentiate into bone-forming cells.

Medical News Today also reported Dr. Yang suggesting that although irisin has beneficial effects which could potentially be developed into therapies in the future, the viability of an irisin-based treatment is still uncertain and would not happen as soon as everyone hopes. "Instead of waiting for a miracle drug, you can help yourself by changing your lifestyle. Exercise produces more irisin, which has many beneficial effects including fat reduction, stronger bones, and better cardiovascular health," Dr. Yang said.

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