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DISCOVER THE EXERCISE HORMONE IRISIN
Exciting new research has proven
the existence of a hormone
that seems to increase during exercise
and does amazing things
for our health and metabolism.
Called the “exercise hormone,”
this muscle hormone was discovered
by scientists at Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute. Because
it’s a chemical messenger it was
named Irisin after a messenger
Goddess. Although it’s existence
has been hotly debated in recent
years, Harvard scientists, studying
Irisin announced not long ago
that the “data provided unequivocally
demonstrates that human
Irisin exists.”
Irisin, normally present as part of
a larger protein in the muscles
cell’s outer membrane, lies dormant
and inactive until released.
Exercise, and other factors help
split this protein, releasing Irisin
in the process.
So, now we know that Irisin exists
and we also know that when we
exercise our body makes more
of it.
Why is this important? What
does this hormone act on once
we start pumping blood and
our heart rate goes up?
It seems that the powerhouse hormone
Irisin has the unique ability
to it turn white fat into brown fat.
White fat stores energy (calories)
while brown fat is better for
us because it’s more involved in
burning energy (increases our
metabolism) rather than storing
it. Brown fat intrigues scientists
because it physically resembles
muscle more than fat and plays a
major role in maintaining normal
weight. It also acts and behaves
more like muscle than fat, which
likely explains it’s ability to burn
fat so efficiently.
Slender people have more brown
fat than obese people. Younger
people have more brown fat than
seniors and those with normal
blood sugar levels enjoy the benefits
of more brown fat than people
with high blood sugar.
Obesity, a disorder of fat accumulation,
is a real problem in
the world today. It is the result of
over-eating and under exercising.
Increased Irisin levels help to
increase glucose tolerance and
reduce insulin resistance, suggesting
it may be a real breakthrough
in treating diabetes.
But, the benefits of this new, exciting
“exercise” hormone don’t
stop there. Irisin offers other valuable
benefits, such as triggering
the growth of new brain neurons
and activating genes involved in
memory retention and learning. It
also acts directly on bone, promoting
its formation by increasing
bone mineral density which
in turn helps with Osteoporosis.
All these things are valuable and
contribute to our overall health.
But another, super exciting discovery
swirling around Irisin is
how it affects our telomeres. It
seems that high Irisin levels are
directly associated with lengthening
our telomeres! The longer
our telomeres, (telomere shortening
is a genetic marker of aging)
the younger and healthier
our body is! This translates to us
being less prone to age related
illnesses and diseases such as
cancer, dementia and heart disease.
With so much controversy surrounding
the discovery of Irisin, it
will be a while before the whole
scientific community comes on
board to discover how to harness
the power of this unique
hormone. However, that doesn’t
mean we have to put our health
on hold until then.
If we want to enjoy the benefits of
Irisin - feeling more fabulous and
younger than we currently do, we
must allow this hormone to work
its magic now.
Since we already know that exercise
increases the amount of
Irisin in our bodies, exercising
is the perfect place to start. It is,
without doubt, the best way to
boost our irisin levels. However,
not all exercise is created equal.
Not surprisingly, a recent scientific
discovery published in 2014,
found that high-intensity exercise
increases Irisin levels better
than low-intensity exercise which
means it must challenge the
body to trigger its release.
Researchers have also discovered
that rats that swam daily
but were fed a high-fat diet still
lost weight and suspect it is due
to Irisin. Cold temperatures are
another factor. It seems that the
shivering we do when exposed
to chilly temperatures increases
Irisin, even rivaling the results of
those who exercised regularly.
Irisin is a health-boosting,
fat-burning, sensitizing hormone
empowered to provide us with
many health benefits. It is empowered
to reduce body weight,
boost energy expenditure, and
improve diet-induced insulin resistance.
It’s time to chill down the house,
head to the gym and enjoy
healthy fats. Our health, weight
and longevity will all benefit.
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