Emmett Short talks about a recent meta-study of exercise and supplements on this episode of Lifespan News.
Script
We all want to know if we should be taking supplements, which ones, and how much. Will they help us be healthier and live longer, or is this a waste of money, or even counterproductive?
In this study, researchers wanted to know if a combination of dietary supplementation and physical activity could reduce inflammation. So, of course, they did a study. They studied other studies.
Welcome to Lifespan News. I’m Emmett Short. Today, we’re talking about inflammaging. Chronic low-level inflammation often found in many hereditary and age-related diseases?
Inflammation has been associated with fatigue, which obviously makes you not want to exercise, which, ironically, is one of the things that can reduce inflammation and cure your fatigue, so it’s really one of those chicken and egg situations. It’s like, “Well, if I wasn’t so tired, I would exercise. Well, if you just exercise, maybe you won’t be so tired!”
But, it’s tricky, because of course, certain types of exercise might cause more inflammation, like a long-distance run or maybe you overexert yourself or you sprain something, and that’s the conundrum we all face. It’s a real thin line we’re all walking as we try to stay in shape and live longer.
So, they studied 11 randomized controlled studies that differed in design, but most included healthy men and women, and all compared exercise+supplementation groups to control groups. The studies looked at protein and amino acids, omega-3s, and vitamins C & D.
The exercise regimes varied as well, but most included resistance training, and light aerobic exercise. In general, participants exercised 2-3 times a week. Study durations varied from 4 weeks to 24 weeks.
The results showed that in six of the eleven studies, inflammatory markers were reduced after exercise combined with dietary supplementation. The researchers concluded that in addition to the beneficial effect of exercise, the anti-inflammatory properties of plant-derived proteins and such micronutrients as vitamins C and D might be responsible for the suppression of inflammation in these studies.
After all this, they’re only willing to say “might!” I might not be a scientist but I coulda told you this. Exercise, protein, and vitamin C might be good for you. I wish we had more for you on this one. The study did reveal some evidence of the synergistic anti-inflammatory effect of exercise combined with the dietary supplementation, but they couldn’t nail it down enough to give you guidelines on the ideal combination of exercise and supplements.
But the good news is, we get closer with every study, and there’s more to come soon, and it does, we’ll tell you what’s uncovered. So make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss out. I’m Emmett Short, and we’ll see you next time on Lifespan News!
