Sport: Health benefits
Physical activity is not just a way of losing weight. Sport has major medical, social and economic benefits. Walking, running or gardening activates metabolic mechanisms - in other words, the biological reactions taking place in our bodies.
The benefits of sport can be seen both physically and mentally:
Physical health
Fight against overweight and diabetes-type diseases
Strictly speaking, sport cannot prevent obesity or overweight. However, physical activity is regularly prescribed as a complement to appropriate treatment to help patients achieve their goals.
Muscle can produce certain hormones, known as myokines, which have long-range metabolic effects on several organs. As Cédric Moro (Director of Research at Inserm's Institute of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases in Toulouse) explains, "In an obese patient, the muscle contains a little fat. Exercise melts this fat, making insulin more effective in supplying the muscle with sugar. This limits the onset of type 2 diabetes".
The positive effects of sport on overweight or diabetic problems are only beneficial if practised correctly. There are certain recommendations that must be followed to be effective with a minimum of side-effects.
Cardiovascular diseases
As far as cardiovascular disease is concerned, the risk factors are well known: smoking, stress, hypertension... Regular physical activity improves and regulates the functioning of the cardiac system, leading to a reduction in cardiovascular risks:
- Potential 50% reduction in arterial hypertension
- Increase in good cholesterol levels
- Regulation of blood sugar levels
We also know that below a VO2 max threshold, i.e. the maximum amount of oxygen consumed by the body during intense effort, a heart failure patient requires a transplant. Physiology researcher at the I2MC, Thibaut Guiraud, explains that "with activity, you improve your physical capacity and you can get 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 makes the heart more resistant, helping to prevent or slow cardiovascular problems.
Cancer
It's no longer a secret that physical activity can be beneficial in the recovery from certain cancers.
Cancer is the leading cause of death, ahead of cardiovascular disease: the number of cases has doubled over the last 30 years.
Practicing sports during treatment helps the body to counteract some of the negative effects of treatment, such as fatigue. Provided, of course, that the effort is moderate and adapted to the treatment. Béatrice Fervers, oncologist at the Centre Léon-Bérard, explains that "the sooner a patient starts physical activity after diagnosis, the better he or she will be able to counter the side effects".
Physical activity modifies body composition (reducing visceral adiposity and maintaining or even improving muscle mass), as well as muscular strength. The possible consequences of regular physical activity on the mechanisms involved in tumor proliferation are well explained: the best-documented effects concern breast cancer and relate to glycemic regulation, increased insulin sensitivity, an anti-inflammatory effect and hormonal regulation.
According to ISERM researchers, physical activity can reduce the risk of recurrence of breast and colon cancer.
Mental health
As we saw in the article on meditation, physical activity contributes to better mental health.
Sport doesn't just help people with illnesses. Sport also enhances the well-being of the person practicing it, with reduced psychological risks.
Anti-stress
Physical activity can help reduce stress. In fact, sport triggers the body to produce hormones called endorphins, the "feel-good" hormones. As a result, after a sporting activity, anxiety levels are reduced.
Doctor Martine Duclos, endocrinologist and head of the Sports Medicine Department at CHU Gabriel-Montpied and CHU Estaing (Clermont-Ferrand), explains that sport can be used to compensate for the use of anxiolytics, for example: "in anxious or stressed subjects, regular physical activity provides the same benefits as anxiolytics, without the side-effects and habituation; it also provides an action similar to that of antidepressants in subjects suffering from mild to moderate depression". Sport also induces the secretion of neuromediators implicated in depression when they are deficient, serotonin in particular.
As well as having a calming effect, sport also allows us to take a break from the daily grind, and forget the little worries that usually occupy our minds while we're doing it.
Sleep quality
It's just a short step from stress reduction to improved sleep.
Doctor Duclos testifies that "sporting activity will have two positive consequences: you'll have fewer problems falling asleep, and sportsmen and women will wake up less early".
This is due in particular to the regulation of blood pressure and the secretion of endorphins, which help you to relax. So, thanks to sport, you're less stressed, which leads to physical fatigue rather than psychological fatigue.
What's more, practising sport forces people to organize themselves better and therefore regulate their biological rhythms (also known as circadian rhythms). It also implies a better diet for better performance. All these factors play an important role in sleep quality.
However, it's important not to exercise too late in the day, "otherwise it will shift your sleep schedule", stresses Martine Duclos.
Brain and depression
Finally, sport enables the brain to secrete dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter involved in the reward mechanism.
Memory, cognition, mood: physical exercise optimizes mental performance and health.
Lisa Weinberg's team at the Georgia Institute of Technology (USA) carried out a study on students: memorizing 90 photos. One group was asked to perform a leg exercise while the other group remained seated. Two days later, the students were asked to recognize as many images as possible out of a batch of 180: the trained group was able to recognize 60%, 10% more than the controls.
Researcher Martine Duclos found a "positive correlation between their physical condition and the type of high school they attended (general, vocational, agricultural)". According to Dr. Duclos, this is because "muscular activity leads to the production of myokines, proteins which, through a complex mechanism, stimulate the brain to produce growth factors, neurotrophins and more specifically BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor). It promotes the creation of micro-vessels (angiogenesis) and the production of new neurons (neurogenesis)".
Faculty sports - Association ASMM (AS Médecine Montpellier)
This 3-4-member sports association serves medical students who wish to engage in regular physical activity. With the aim of promoting sport, it provides sports fields and equipment, and organizes university competitions.
Our projects :
- Creation of a women's volleyball team;
- Development of a rugby team combining medical and dental students;
- Creation of a basketball team made up of medical, pharmacy and odontology students;
- Organization of futsal, tennis, pétanque and beach volleyball tournaments.
Office :
Chairman: 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
