The benefits of exercise have been proven scientifically, and we know that physical inactivity leads to muscle loss, and an increase in the ratio of fat body mass to lean body mass. Moreover, physical inactivity mostly promotes the accumulation of fat around the abdomen, and enhances the infiltration of the adipose tissue by macrophages, thus creating an inflammatory signalization network. Prof. Max Lafontan’s work has shown how the inflammation of the adipose tissue promotes insulin resistance and later on, the development of prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. When we exercise, however, our muscles release myokines (cytokines produced by the muscle cells) that stimulate the muscle mass growth, along with an anti-inflammatory effect and an increase in the insulin sensitivity.
A study published in Neurology, also stresses that exercising regularly (taking a walk several times a week, for instance) protects senior citizens’ brains against cerebral atrophy and cerebral ageing in general.