We know that exercise is good for us, but we may be deterred if we think our exercise won't be long or intensive enough to benefit from it. Researchers from UC San Diego School of Medicine wanted to find out if 20 minutes of moderate exercise could improve the body's anti-inflammatory response.
For the study, 47 participants were asked to walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes, and blood samples taken both before and after. It was found that there was a 5 percent decrease in the number of stimulated immune cells producing TNF, a type of cytokines (protein) that is pro-inflammatory, which can induce cell differentiation, proliferation and cell death, including cancerous ones. The study was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.
Seems like there’s new reasons to exercise every day! Read more about this study via MNT here.