People who exercise have different proteins moving through their bloodstreams than those who are generally sedentary

We know that people who exercise are healthier and live longer. What we don’t know is why is there a link between exercise and a longer life. “…for the new study, which was published in November in the Journal of Applied Physiology, researchers at the University of Colorado, Boulder, set out to look at various people’s proteins.

They first gathered 31 healthy young men and women, about half of whom exercised regularly, while the rest did not. They also recruited an additional group of 16 healthy middle-aged and older men, half of whom were physically active and half of whom were sedentary….

In five of the modules, in fact, levels of certain proteins varied, sometimes substantially, if someone exercised compared to if he or she were sedentary. Many of the differences were apparent both in the younger participants and those in middle age.

Perhaps most important, the researchers also found correlations between the makeup of people’s modules and their health. People who exercised and had similarities in various protein levels also tended to have desirable blood pressures and insulin responses, with the opposite true for the inactive volunteers.

These data suggest that changes in protein levels are likely to be integral to the complex process by which a workout becomes wellness.”