A CHEAP supplement could mimic the benefits of exercise, boosting your heart health and metabolism, a new study suggests.
It’s no secret that breaking a sweat can bolster your health.
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According to Chinese scientists, sticking to a long-term workout plan can boost the immune system and brain function while “reducing cardiovascular and metabolic disease risks” and even slowing ageing.
A study led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xuanwu Hospital Capital Medical University looked into what happens in the body on a molecular level after exercise.
They found that sustained exercise prompted a surge of a compound called betaine.
“We identified betaine as an endogenous molecule triggered by sustained exercise and revealed its anti-inflammatory and geroprotective [protecting against the effect of ageing] characteristics,” researchers wrote in Cell.
They also found that giving betaine supplements to mice replicated many of exercise’s benefits, without the need to break a sweat.
“This redefines ‘exercise as medicine’,” said co-corresponding author Dr Liu Guang-Hui.
Betaine is a natural compound found in foods like beets, spinach, and whole grains.
It’s also sold as a supplement for as little as £14.99 – amounting to less than 50p per capsule – and is popular with fitness buffs.
Thirteen young and healthy men participated in the study, which looked at the short and long-term impacts exercise can have on the human body.
“We conducted a rigorously controlled investigation in young males to examine the immediate physiological response to a single bout of exercise and the adaptive changes following multiple trainings,” researchers explained.
They analysed biological samples taken from participants “to decode key cellular and molecular changes associated with acute and chronic exercise”.
The study began with a 45-day period of minimal exercise.
Participants were then asked to go on a 5km run so researchers could probe how their bodies responded to it.
Afterwards, they were asked to do daily 5km runs.
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Researchers collected blood and samples of their poop before, immediately after, and post-training.
They found that the first 5km run – which they described as “acute exercise” – lead to a surge of inflammation across the body. As researchers put it, it prompted “metabolic chaos”.
But as men continued to train over several weeks, their bodies displayed fewer signs of cellular exhaustion.
It seemed to boost their gut microbiomes and immune system and reverse markers of ageing.
Researchers observed signs of improved metabolic function and lower levels of inflammation.
Repeated exercising also seemed to boost production of betaine in men’s kidneys.
They discovered that betaine, a metabolic byproduct, acts as a molecular messenger that helps slow down ageing.
It prevents inflammation and organ ageing by targeting an enzyme called TBK1.
How much exercise should you do and when?
There are guidelines issued by the NHS and the Government regarding how much exercise people should do each day.
People should be active daily, and avoid sitting for long periods.
The NHS recommends an adults – those aged 19 to 64 – should aim for 150 minutes of “moderate intensity activity” a week.
This works out to 21 minutes a day, or 30 minutes five days a week.
Or, they could do 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, which could be less than 11 minutes per day or 25 minutes three days a week.
Adults should also aim to do strength exercises twice a week, at least.
Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike, dancing, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking or rollerblading.
Examples of vigorous activities include running, swimming, riding a bike fast or on hills, walking up the stairs, sports, like football, rugby, netball and hockey, skipping, aerobics, gymnastics or martial arts.
Things like lifting heavy weights, sprinting up hills, spin classes or circuit training are considered very vigorous.
What time should you exercise?
Getting exercise into your day, no matter what time is a good idea.
But you may want to be more selective depending on your goal.
A 2023 US study on 5,285 middle-aged adults showed exercising between 7 and 9 am was the best time if you’re looking to lose weight.
Researchers found that early-bird gym goers had a lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those working out later.
A 2022 study led by Prof Paul J Arciero, Skidmore College, New York, found that the optimal time of day to get your kit on might differ according to your gender.
Prof Arciero said women wanting to lose fat around their belly and hips would do better to hit the gym in the morning, but those seeking to gain upper body strength or simply improve their mood might see more results from evening exercise.
The results were the opposite for men.
If you struggle to get to sleep, it’s been found that exercise in the morning may help, but exercise in the evening may help you to stay asleep.
Exercise, generally, can improve sleep quality.
Experts tested this finding on mice and found that getting the rodents to run on a treadmill drove betaine accumulation in their kidneys.
They then gave mice betaine supplements, finding that they replicated many of exercise’s benefits.
They said it appeared to slash inflammation, reduced cellular ageing, enhanced mice’s metabolisms, kidney function, coordination, and cognition, and reduced depressive-like behaviours in older mice.
“This study gives us a fresh way to turn how our body works into something we can target with chemicals,” Dr Guang-Hui said.
“It opens the door to geroprotective treatments that can tweak how multiple organs work together.”
Researchers suggested that betaine supplements could be given to people who find it difficult to exercise.
But because of the small study pool, they noted that more research into the topic is needed, to confirm that betaine is safe for older adults and diverse populations to take.
