Dr. Joshua Chu-Tan (left) and Associate Professor Riccardo Natoli of Clear Vision Research at The Australian National University (ANU). Photo: Tracey Nearmy, ANU.
All that strenuous running and star jumping and push-ups, but somehow the bathroom scale still has bad news. Imagine if staying fit and healthy meant nothing more than remembering to take a pill every morning with your wholemeal coffee.
It is the elixir that mankind has coveted since the dawn of time, but some local scientists say they may be on their way to breaking the code.
Researchers from ANU have studied what happens in our bodies immediately after exercise and discovered some unique molecular signals.
They say these signals may be the key to developing a supplement that is able to administer the health benefits of exercise, especially to patients who are unable to exercise physically.
These molecular messages are sent to our brain and possibly our eyes immediately after we exercise, raising the question of their impact on retinal health and the central nervous system and eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Do not say goodbye to the gym yet. Photo: Club Lime.
Head of Clear Vision Research at ANU Associate Professor Riccardo Natoli says the molecules could be hijacked, recoded and “bottled up” in a pill and taken as a vitamin.
“The beneficial messages sent to the central nervous system during exercise are wrapped in what are known as ‘lipid particles’. We are essentially prescribing the molecular message of exercise to those who are physically unable to do so,” he said. he.
ALSO READ: COVID-19 management under the microscope: focus on business support and opportunities for distance learning
Professor Natoli’s team believes that the communication between the muscles and the retina begins to decline as we get older, with the same effect as bad internet. He says that similar to taking supplements, the goal is to provide genetic or molecular supplements that combat natural aging.
“Our goal is to find out what these molecules communicate to the body and how they communicate.”
New ANU research has examined existing literature on the effects of exercise on the central nervous system and the eyes. Specifically, the researchers set out to discover what impact exercise has on the retina – the light-sensitive part of the eye – and whether exercise can help maintain good vision as we get older.
The pill is only intended for patients with limited mobility. Photo: Goodwin Villages.
Dr. Joshua Chu-Tan, also from the ANU Clear Vision Research Lab, says that further research is needed to understand how these molecular signals, which are sent from the rest of the body when we exercise, actually reach our brain and eyes. , but preliminary research has yielded “promising” results.
“We know that exercise is good for our vision, but the extent to which is still unknown. Our goal is to understand the benefits of training at the molecular level and how it is beneficial for the central nervous system and retina, ”said Dr. Chu-Tan.
“One of the main goals of doing this review was to determine what goes on inside the body after we exercise, which gives us the benefits of exercise, and why physical activity is so good for our brain and eyes.”
ALSO READ: The kids are fine, but they do not have to vote yet
It is believed that futuristic therapy may one day help patients suffering from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
“We know from looking at diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s that if you exercise in a certain way, you can potentially stimulate neuronal activity,” said Dr. Chu-Tan.
“It has not really been seen on the retina at the level we are thinking about. We want to understand the molecular messages that support the benefits of exercise.”
If that sounds too good to be true, it’s for most of us.
The researchers say the supplement is only intended for patients who have limited mobility, making them unable to exercise. It is not intended for the general public.
“We can impossibly pack all the effects of exercise into a single pill, there are too many benefits that extend throughout the body beyond what we could ‘prescribe’, and that is not the goal,” said Dr. Chu-Tan.
Post a Comment