Another Reason to Get Sweaty

Photo by lululemon athletica on Flickr

If anyone has ever questioned the benefits of hoping on a treadmill and sweating it out -- there is now new evidence that physical exercise not only helps with weight loss, but also rids the body of disease causing waste products.

Ah, an incentive for those who only focus on eating better and avoid exercise at all costs. Nice.

Research done by scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, found that exercise increases cells' ability to get rid of waste products.

The study, published on January 18, 2012 in "Nature," describes how this works. Through a "self-eating" process known as autophagy, our cells have an amazing inter-working system that is able to engulf waste products (that can lead to cancer and other diseases) that enter our bodies through the environment and poor eating habits -- and eliminates them.

The human body at work never ceases to amaze me. So, to recap: our body can eliminate waste products -- great! But here's the rub -- everyone's cells may not work as optimally as possible and without extensive testing, there's no real way of knowing this. Therefore, some people are more susceptible to disease.

Here's where working out fits in. Exercise increases the cells' ability to remove the waste -- for everybody. So, whether your system works great or if you're system needs help -- exercise works.

This is especially great news for people who are more prone to disease due to unhealthy eating habits and family history.

The more one exercises the more benefit there is to their cells' ability to clean out waste which results in a reduced risk of developing disease -- and that has to be encouraging for anyone -- especially those who question the benefit of exercise.

Resources:
The New York Times
Nature