Researchers at Rockefeller University have found that just three minutes of sprinting can trigger a molecular response in the body that is quite different from what happens after 90 minutes of moderate exercise. The study compared how the body responds to exercise performed at different intensities, revealing that six 30-second all-out sprints changed nearly one-quarter of the proteins measured in the blood immediately after exercise. In contrast, 90 minutes of continuous moderate cycling altered less than one-quarter of one percent of these proteins.

The sprint workout also affected more than 200 metabolites and rapidly increased levels of proteins involved in blood vessel growth, tissue remodeling, and hormonal signaling. Some of these proteins appeared to reach the bloodstream through a fast cell-signaling process called ectodomain shedding, rather than being newly produced and released by cells. Human fat cells exposed to blood collected after sprinting showed widespread changes in gene activity, including shifts in how they processed fuel, reacted to hormones, and detected nutrient availability.

On the other hand, moderate exercise led to a much less dramatic immediate reaction. A substantial rise in fatty acids and liver-derived proteins associated with endurance exercise demands did not appear in the bloodstream until three hours after the workout. Human fat cells exposed to blood collected after moderate cycling also showed only small changes in gene activity. The researchers then compared the proteins that responded to exercise with health information from over 53,000 participants in the UK Biobank and found that many of these proteins were associated with lower risks of cardiovascular and metabolic disease.

The pattern was especially notable for obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other metabolic disorders. Among 33 proteins associated with lower risk, 32 were altered by sprinting, while only three were affected by moderate exercise. More than one-quarter of those proteins were also linked to slower biological aging. The findings suggest that exercise intensity may strongly influence the proteins and metabolites released into the bloodstream and, in turn, the way tissues throughout the body respond.

This is a summary. Read the original at sciencedaily.com.