Thursday Tip

Healthy Lifestyle Tip: Exercise May Be the Best Appetizer
In a study at the University of Campinas, heart-pumping activity was actually found to decrease appetite by upping protein levels in the hypothalamus; tricking your brain into thinking you're full. It appeared to make brains more sensitive to key chemicals that play a role in appetite communication.

Researchers witnessed some key chemical changes in the brains of overweight animals that began getting regular exercise. The levels of two types of proteins, interleukin-6 and interleukin-10, increased in the hypothalamus. These proteins served as a type of appetite control within the part of the brain that receives signals from important hunger hormones like leptin and insulin. As a consequence of these protein increases, researchers found that the animals' brain cells became more sensitive and receptive to hunger signals. End result? The animals started to eat less.

It's not the first study to support the theory that turning up your physical activity level can dial down your appetite. This is one of the first studies to highlight a possible underlying mechanism for the effect. More research will need to be done to determine whether exercise has exactly the same effect on humans. But for now, we already know lots of other great health reasons to crank up our physical activity levels.

Source: realage.com