Research Gives Insight Into The Myriad Effects Of Exercise Performed At Different Times Of The Day

Health News – A study recognized and researched the impact of exercise-induced, time-specific signaling molecules in multiple tissues on organ crosstalk, metabolism, and health. Titled Atlas of Exercise Metabolism, its researchers hoped the atlas would be an exhaustive resource for developing more effective exercise therapies timed to the body clock.

A study recently examined how, following exercise at different times of the day, the body produced different health-promoting signaling molecules, in different tissues, in an organ-specific manner. It was conducted collectively by the University of Copenhagen, Karolinska Institutet, Texas A&M University, the University of California-Irvine, and Helmholtz Munich. The researchers also examined how tissues communicated and how their responses connected to induce an orchestrated adaptation that, in turn, controlled systemic energy homeostasis.

A series of experiments were performed on mice that exercised either in early morning or late evening. Blood samples and different tissues (from brain, heart, muscle, liver, and fat) were collected and analyzed by mass spectrometry. The detected energy metabolites and hormone signaling molecules from the tissues were further monitored to gain insight into continuing changes. The study, however, had limitations. The experiments were carried out in mice and it failed to factor in the impact on important ‘human’ parameters, such as sex, age, disease, etc. The analysis, hence, fell short of substantially elaborating on the genetic, physiological, and behavioral impact of exercising at different times of the day on humans.

The findings, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, were put into a map-like arrangement and titled Atlas of Exercise Metabolism.

The results summarized time- and exercise- dependent metabolism over multiple tissues. It stated how these signals broadly impacted health—influencing memory, sleep, exercise performance, and metabolic homeostasis. It also identified new exercise-induced signaling molecules in multiple tissues. The study hoped to see its results elevate the role of exercise in generating and refining systemic models for organ crosstalk and metabolism. The results could be utilized to optimize the health-promoting effects of exercise in realigning faulty circadian rhythms (linked to diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes) in specific tissues and correcting disturbed body clocks. In fact, the researchers hoped that the atlas would be a comprehensive resource for exercise biologists. Nonetheless, the study looked to further investigation to understand individual as well as collective influences of exercise-induced, time-specific signaling molecules in multiple tissues on health.

Assistant Professor Shogo Sato, of the Department of Biology and the Center for Biological Clocks Research at Texas A&M University and fellow co-first author, said, “Despite the limitations, it’s an important study that helps to direct further research that can help us better understand how exercise, if timed correctly, can help to improve health.”

To Know More You May Refer To:

Sato, S., Dyar, K. A., Treebak, J. T., Jepsen, S. L., Ehrlich, A. M., Ashcroft, S. P., Trost, K., Kunzke, T., Prade, V. M., Small, L., Basse, A. L., Schönke, M., Chen, S., Samad, M., Baldi, P., Barrès, R., Walch, A., Moritz, T., Holst, J. J., Lutter, D., … Sassone-Corsi, P. (2022). Atlas of exercise metabolism reveals time-dependent signatures of metabolic homeostasis. Cell metabolism, S1550-4131(21)00635-5. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2021.12.016