Exercise has potential to influence epigenetic marks and health outcomes according to recent scientific publications. Explore tai chi, endurance training, and yoga, and learn about the ways in which these exercises and many others might be able to influence our well being.
Our muscles may actually possess a molecular memory in the form of epigenetic marks on our DNA. According to a study published in Scientific Reports, these chemical tags tell a tale of when skeletal muscles grew after exercise and could possibly help them grow bigger later on. Although you might think that month-long resistance training class that you’ve been meaning to sign up for again was all for naught, your muscles might actually remember it. Even if taking an exercise [more…]
Cloud hands, single whip, white crane spreads wings – you’ve probably never heard of these terms unless you practice tai chi, an ancient Chinese tradition that focuses on “meditation in motion.” Tai chi in modern form reduces stress and anxiety as well as improves balance and strength all through special movements often named after animals, combined with deep breathing, relaxation techniques, and a tranquil state of mind. Tai chi has great depth and history, but is easy to learn for [more…]
Can yogic poses like downward facing dog improve your health by adjusting tiny chemical tags on your DNA? A calmer, relaxed mind after an intense yoga session seems to go hand-in-hand with bolstered health and a reduced chance of disease. Epigenetics, or the study of biological changes that occur due to different chemical marks that alter the expression of our genes, is showing that the beneficial effects of yoga penetrate deep into our minds and bodies — and may even [more…]
We all know the extensive benefits of exercise: work out to stave off disease, improve mental acuity, lose weight, reduce stress, and so on. But even with all these benefits, there are still some questions surrounding the molecular causes that underlie them. Epigenetics has been particularly helpful in gaining new insights into the wide range of health benefits of exercise. Recently, a study showed that exercise could epigenetically keep the brain healthy by boosting the production of a protein called [more…]
When was the last time you exercised? Was it yesterday, a few weeks ago… or maybe a few months ago? Well, you may want to tack on “epigenetics” to the long list of reasons why you should exercise more often. We all know exercise is beneficial, but the difficulty usually lies in trying to be motivated enough to actually do it. The CDC states that frequent physical activity is one of the most important things for your health. It can [more…]
Feeling stressed? You’re not alone. According to the American Psychological Association, people are living with stress at levels higher than what is considered healthy. Unsurprisingly, the APA found the top four sources of stress to be money, work, family responsibilities, and health concerns. Are you nervous about that project that’s due this week? Worried about the last of your sample that’s incubating in the lab? Perhaps you’re just convinced money is some sort of mythical object that you might one [more…]
We all know that exercise is good for us, but researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are exploring the epigenetic impact good exercise has on our skeletal muscles. We have previously touched on the effects of epigenetic changes on the development of diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. In a recent study in Epigenetics, long-term endurance training has been shown to affect the epigenetic pattern present in the human skeletal muscle. The changed epigenetic patterns were shown to [more…]
Cardiometabolic disease (CMD) is a term used to define risk factors associated with the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. One major characteristic which contributes to these risk factors is obesity. Worldwide, obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 and in 2008, more than 1.4 billion adults 20 and older were overweight (1). Additionally more than 40 million children under the age of five were overweight in 2011 (1). Childhood obesity is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death [more…]
