One More Reason to Get Moving

We know that exercise does a body good (certainly more so than drinking milk!). But even more evidence is being discovered--irisin being the most recent. Named after the greek messenger goddess Iris, this hormone is debuting as a critical communicator between the two different types of fat cells.

Many More Reasons to Get Moving: Part 2

Although the role of exercise in preventing various cancers is not clear, researchers have suspected the maintenance of a healthy body weight to contribute.  This reference to a healthy body weight relates more to the amount of fat (white fat to be exact, more on that later) that’s in the body as opposed to your actual weight.  It's now well-known that fat releases a host of hormones and what are known as cytokines.  In fact, in some circles, fat tissue is considered an endocrine organ, similar to your adrenal glands and reproductive organs.  Cancer development may be related to the release of these cytokines and hormones in excessive amounts.  Exercising and cutting back on the amount of white fat stored in the body therefore leads to the reduction in these circulating compounds.