Endocannabinoids and the Anti-Inflammatory Power of Exercise
Researchers have known that exercise increases your body's production of cannabis-like substances named endocannabinoids.
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Researchers have known that exercise increases your body's production of cannabis-like substances named endocannabinoids.
That "runner's high" that people get after an intense cardio session is more correlated with produced cannabinoids rather than endorphins.
Weightlifting, strength training, and aerobic exercises will also increase endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids are known as self-produced "bliss molecules," which make people feel good at the same time reduce inflammation.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham show that 15 minutes of strength training six days a week triggers a chain reaction that increases the number of endocannabinoids, reduces inflammatory cytokines, and alters the gut microbiome. The study was published in the peer-reviewed journal Gut Microbes on November 17, 2021.
Endocannabinoids Reduces Inflammation
The author writes, "In the study, we look at the functional interactions in the endocannabinoid system as well as in the gut microbiome in regulating inflammatory markers."
"Thus far, no study previously examined the link between the gut microbiome, exercise, and the endocannabinoid system."
Ana Valdes led Nottingham's School of Medicine research, and the scientists took 78 people with painful osteoarthritis.
The participants of the study were randomly placed into two separate groups. One group (n = 38) partook in a six-week exercise intervention that consisted of 15-minutes of strength training a day. The control group (n = 40) did no exercise at all.
After the six weeks, those in the muscle-strengthening group had much greater levels of an endocannabinoid named anandamide (AEA), and it had anti-inflammatory effects on their gut microbiome composition (SCFAs) indexed this occurred because of the decrease in the proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-ɑ, IL-6). These changes didn't happen in the "non-exercise" group.
Anandamide Anti-Inflammatory Gut Microbes
The author wrote, "The data shows that the SCFAs anti-inflammatory effects are mostly mediated by the endocannabinoid system, signifying there could be other pathways that modulate the immune system from the gut microbiome."
According to author Amrita Vijay, the study confirms that exercise dramatically increases the body's endocannabinoids, which can positively impact the person. Certainly, simple lifestyle habits such as exercise may regulate endocannabinoids.