Aerobic exercise may promote heart health by reducing inflammatory markers

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

A new study shows that aerobic exercise decreases blood markers of inflammation which, in turn, will improve heart health.
It is well known that aerobic exercise benefits the heart - but scientists have not really understood the underlying mechanisms. Now a study on young adults sheds new light on the link between aerobic exercise and heart health. Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center took blood samples from 46 healthy young adults both before and after participating in moderate or high intensity aerobic exercise over a 12 week period.

The samples were stimulated with the infectious agent lipopolysaccharide, which is known to stimulate inflammation. They were then analyzed for tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is an initial marker of the inflammatory cascade. Substantially lower levels of TNF were found after aerobic training. The researchers say that, therefore, exercise could reduce the systemic inflammation which is thought to set the scene for heart disease. The study is the first one to focus upon the impact of exercise on TNF levels in healthy young adults.

Source
American Psychosomatic Society meeting 7-10 March 2007