William Atkins
Wednesday, 05 November 2008 19:06
Science -
Health
Page 1 of 3
Yale University researchers discover that the muscles of endurance athletes are still working at converting sugars and fats into energy even after the exercise routine is over with and they are at rest. The benefits of improved muscle function with at least four hours of running each week could reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
The results of the study was published in the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) under the title “
Increased substrate oxidation and mitochondrial uncoupling in skeletal muscle of endurance-trained individuals.”
Led by Douglas E. Befroy, its authors include Kitt Falk Petersen, Sylvie Dufour, Graeme F. Mason, Douglas L. Rothman, and Gerald I. Shulman.
They are all associated with various departments within the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the
Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.A.
The abstract to their paper states,
“Endurance exercise training is accompanied by physiological changes that improve muscle function and performance.“
The researchers found that long-distance running increases the number of mitrochrondia within the cells of athletes.
Mitrochondria convert sugars and fats into ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules, which store and carry energy throughout the body.
This increase in the number of mitrochondria cells helps the body to consume more oxygen and exercise at high levels that are normally possible.
Page two describes why improved muscle performance helps to reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
