LONDON: New research suggests that the intensity of exercise can dramatically influence the molecular signals circulating through the body, with short bursts of all-out sprint exercise producing a much stronger and faster response than moderate-intensity exercise.
The human study, published as an article in press in Cell Reports Medicine, compared sprint-interval exercise (SIE) with moderate-intensity exercise (MIE). Researchers found that sprint exercise rapidly changed large numbers of circulating proteins and metabolites, potentially altering communication between muscles, fat tissue and other organs.
In the cycling experiment, participants performing sprint exercise completed six 30-second all-out sprints, separated by four-minute recovery periods. Another group completed 90 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.
The researchers detected changes in almost one-quarter of the 2,884 proteins measured immediately after sprint-interval exercise. By comparison, only seven proteins changed from baseline after moderate-intensity exercise immediately following the session.
The findings indicate that exercise intensity may play an important role in how the body communicates between organs. Researchers believe these molecular changes could help explain why different forms of exercise produce different metabolic and cardiometabolic adaptations.
However, the study involved relatively small groups of young, healthy and physically active participants, so the findings should not be interpreted as meaning that sprint workouts are universally better than moderate exercise.
Overall, the research highlights that exercise intensity matters at the molecular level, providing new insight into how the body responds to different types of physical activity.
