Sports: Health Benefits
Physical activity isn’t just a way to lose weight. Exercise offers significant benefits from medical, social, and economic perspectives. It actually helps boost the immune system and promotes overall well-being: walking, running, or gardening activates metabolic processes—in other words, biological reactions—that take place within our bodies.
The benefits of exercise can be seen not only in one's physical appearance but also in one's mental health:
Physical health
Combating obesity and diabetes-related diseases
Strictly speaking, exercise alone cannot prevent obesity or being overweight. However, physical activity is often recommended as a complement to appropriate treatment to help patients achieve their goals.
In general, exercise helps regulate weight with the goal of achieving a more toned physique. Muscles can produce certain hormones, called myokines, which have metabolic effects on various organs at a distance. As Cédric Moro (research director at Inserm within the Institute of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases in Toulouse) explains, “In an obese patient, muscle tissue contains some fat. Exercise burns this fat, and insulin then becomes more effective at supplying the muscle with glucose. This notably reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.”
The positive effects of exercise on weight issues or diabetes are only beneficial if done correctly. There are guidelines that must be followed to ensure effectiveness with minimal side effects.
Cardiovascular diseases
When it comes to cardiovascular disease, the risk factors are well known: smoking, stress, high blood pressure… Regular physical activity improves and regulates the functioning of the cardiovascular system, thereby reducing cardiovascular risks:
- Potential 50% reduction in high blood pressure
- Increase in good cholesterol levels
- Blood sugar control
We also know that below a certain VO₂ max threshold—the maximum amount of oxygen the body consumes during intense exercise—a patient with heart failure requires a transplant. Thibaut Guiraud, a physiology researcher at I2MC, explains that “With exercise, you improve your physical capacity and can move out of the ‘red zone,’ which is above 5 METs (equivalent to the ability to walk at 4–5 km/h for a few minutes).”
Regular physical activity helps strengthen the heart and thus prevent or delay cardiovascular problems.
Cancer
It’s no secret that physical activity can help with the recovery from certain cancers.
Cancer is the leading cause of death, ahead of cardiovascular disease: the number of cases has doubled over the past 30 years.
Exercising during treatment helps the body counteract certain negative side effects of treatment, such as fatigue. Provided, of course, that the exercise is moderate and tailored to the specific treatment. Béatrice Fervers, an oncologist at the Léon-Bérard Center, explains that “The sooner a patient begins physical activity after diagnosis, the better they are able to counteract side effects.”
In fact, physical activity alters body composition (reducing visceral fat and maintaining or even increasing muscle mass) as well as muscle strength. The potential effects of regular physical activity on the mechanisms involved in tumor proliferation can be explained: the best-documented effects pertain to breast cancer and involve glycemic regulation, increased insulin sensitivity, an anti-inflammatory effect, and hormonal regulation.
According to researchers at ISERM, physical activity may help reduce the risk of recurrence in breast and colon cancer.
Mental health
As we saw in the article on meditation, physical activity contributes to better mental health.
Exercise doesn’t just help people with health conditions. It also promotes well-being in those who engage in it, helping to reduce psychological risks.
Stress relief
Physical activity can help reduce stress. In fact, exercise triggers the body to release hormones called endorphins, which are known as “feel-good” hormones. As a result, anxiety levels are reduced after physical activity.
Dr. Martine Duclos, an endocrinologist and head of the Sports Medicine Department at the Gabriel-Montpied and Estaing University Hospitals (Clermont-Ferrand), explains that exercise can help reduce the need for anti-anxiety medications; for example, “in anxious or stressed individuals, regular physical activity provides the same benefits as anti-anxiety medications, without the side effects or risk of dependency; it also has an effect similar to that of antidepressants in people suffering from mild to moderate depression.” Exercise also stimulates the release of neurotransmitters involved in depression when they are deficient, serotonin being the primary one.
Beyond its calming effect, exercise also allows us to take a break from our daily routine and forget the little worries that usually occupy our minds while we’re working out.
Sleep quality
It’s just a short step from reducing stress to improving sleep.
Dr. Duclos notes that “exercise has two positive effects: you’ll have less trouble falling asleep, and athletes will wake up less often in the middle of the night.”
This is largely due to the regulation of blood pressure and the release of endorphins, which help us relax more effectively. As a result, exercise reduces stress, leading to physical fatigue rather than mental fatigue.
In addition, participating in sports requires people to be more organized and, as a result, to regulate their biological rhythm (also known as the circadian rhythm). This also involves eating better to improve performance. All of these factors play an important role in sleep quality.
“However, it’s important not to exercise too late in the day, because that will push back your bedtime,” Martine Duclos points out.
The Brain and Depression
Finally, exercise causes the brain to release dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the reward system.
Memory, cognition, mood: Physical exercise enhances mental performance and health.
A team led by Lisa Weinberg at the Georgia Institute of Technology (United States) conducted a study involving students who were asked to memorize 90 photos. The first group was asked to perform leg exercises while the other group remained seated. Two days later, the students were asked to identify as many images as possible from a set of 180: the group that exercised was able to identify 60%, 10% more than the control group.
Researcher Martine Duclos observed a “positive correlation between their physical fitness and the type of high school they attended (academic, vocational, agricultural).” According to Dr. Duclos, this can be explained by the fact that “muscle activity triggers the production of myokines, proteins that, through a complex mechanism, prompt the brain to produce growth factors, neurotrophins, and more specifically BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). It promotes the formation of microvessels (angiogenesis) and the production of new neurons (neurogenesis).”
Sports at the University – ASMM Association (Montpellier Medical Students' Association)
This sports club consists of 3–4 members dedicated to serving medical students who wish to engage in regular physical activity. With the aim of promoting sports, it provides them with sports facilities and equipment and organizes intercollegiate competitions.
Our projects:
- Formation of a women's volleyball team;
- Formation of a rugby team made up of medical and dental students;
- Formation of a basketball team made up of medical, pharmacy, and dental students;
- Organization of futsal, tennis, pétanque, and beach volleyball tournaments.
Office:
President: Mustapha MOUSTAFAOUI
Secretary: Maxime FOULQUIER
Treasurer: Youssef TRIGUI
Contact:
Institute of Biology
4 Boulevard Henri IV,
34965 Montpellier Cedex 2
Sources:
https://lejournal.cnrs.fr/articles/le-sport-est-bon-pour-la-sante-cest-prouve
https://www.naturaforce.com/blog/2017/06/03/bienfaits-du-sport-sur-la-sante/
https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/bouger-ameliorer-le-cerveau_29226
