We’ve all probably experienced it: after a period of inactivity you try to get back to exercising and it’s, well, really hard. Now new research seems to tell us why. It’s all to do with a protein called Piezo1.
This protein is responsible for the density of capillaries supplying blood to the muscles, and when you stop exercising, the protein gets turned off. Less blood flow means exercise is suddenly a whole lot harder!
Exercise: why inactivity makes it harder
Scientists at the University of Leeds discovered that deactivating the Piezo1 protein, a blood flow sensor, reduces the amount of capillaries carrying blood to the muscles.
In experiments carried out on mice, significant reductions in physical activity and performance were noted in mice that had had their Piezo1 levels reduced.
Although the experiments were carried out in mice, the Piezo1 protein is found in humans, suggesting the same results could occur.
Lead author Fiona Bartoli, a Postdoctoral Researcher in the University of Leeds’ School of Medicine, said: “Exercise protects against cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression and cancer. Unfortunately, many people fail to exercise enough, for reasons such as injury and computer usage. This puts people at more risk of disease. The less people exercise, the less fit they become, often leading to a downward spiral.
“Although many responses to exercise are known, how the benefits of exercise are initially triggered at a molecular level is mysterious. Our study highlights the crucial link between physical activity and physical performance made at this level by Piezo1. Keeping our Piezo1s active by exercising may be crucial in our physical performance and health.”
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“It is increasingly recognized that getting enough sleep, particularly high-quality sleep, is important for health including cardiovascular health. Unfortunately, more than a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep on a regular basis,” says study author Angelique Brellenthin, Ph.D., assistant professor of kinesiology at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa, in a press release.
“Aerobic activity is often recommended to improve sleep, yet very little is known about the effects of resistance exercise versus aerobic exercise on sleep. Our study is one of the largest and longest exercise trials in a general adult population to directly compare the effects of different types of exercise on multiple sleep parameters.”
Click here to read more about this fascinating new study
During the experiment, over a 10-week period scientists compared a control group of mice, and a group whose Piezo1 levels had been disrupted. Walking, climbing and running wheel activity was studied. The mice whose Piezo1 levels had been disrupted showed showing a significant reduction in activity levels. This suggests an important role for Piezo1 in sustaining normal physical activity.
The researchers investigated whether the Piezo1 mice were less interested in doing exercise, but they found no differences in the amount or duration of activity between the two groups. Instead, they noted fewer running wheel revolutions per exercise session, and slower running speed, suggesting a diminished ability to exercise, but not a lesser desire.
Supervising author Professor David Beech, in the University of Leeds’ School of Medicine, said: “Our work sheds new light on how Piezo1’s role in blood vessels is connected to physical activity. A lot was already known about its role in blood vessel development, but far less was known about its contribution to vessel maintenance in adults.
“Our discovery also provides an opportunity to think about how loss of muscle function could be treated in new ways: if we activate Piezo1, it might help to maintain exercise capability.”
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