As most of us know (and as health practitioners continually suggest), exercise is good for you.  Exercise protects against a range of health risks such as cardiovascular problems, diabetes and even dementia.  The exact mechanisms through which exercise helps to underpin good health in the body are, however, poorly understood.

A recent study published by the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, published in Nature, sheds new light on exactly how exercise works its magic in the body and even suggests possible new treatment paths for diseases like diabetes.

The team at the University started with the premise that exercise helps the body by promoting a natural process called authophagy.  Litterally meaning 'self-eating', autophagy is a mechanism through which the body recycles worn-out, surplus or dysfunctional cellular components.

Autophagy seems to show that those animals which can recycle part of their cellular structures cope with a scarcity of energy (for example, a reduced intake of food) better than those that cannot (like bacteria, for example).  Autophagy has also been shown to be involved in fighting bacterial infections in the body, as well as slowing the onset of neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's.

Although the study gets fairly technical, in summary, the researchers found that mice that are genetically unable to recycle cellular components in response to exercise did not show the normal benefits of exercise on blood sugar metabolism.  The research team believe their results suggest a new approach to treating diabetes, by manipulating the autophagy process in the body.

"Our finding that exercise fails to improve glucose metabolism in autophagy-deficient mice strongly suggests that autophagy is an important mechanism by which exercise protects against diabetes", says Dr Beth Levine, the lead author of the study.  "It also raises the possibility that activation of autophagy may contribute to other health benefits of exercise, including protection against cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and ageing."

The subsequent studies needed to show a link with other health benefits will undoubtedly take a long time to complete.  In the meantime, the study adds to the already extensive body of evidence that taking at least some form of regular exercise really is good for you.