Exercise Protects against Inflammation

Researchers from Ataturk University in Turkey showed that hard exercise protects you from inflammation by raising blood levels of the antioxidants superoxide dismutase, glutathion peroxidase and glutathione S-transferase (The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness, September 2008). During vigorous exercise, food exposed to oxygen is converted to energy by transferring electrons from one chemical to another. If the transferred electron ends up on hydrogen, it is converted to water and is harmless. If it ends up on oxygen, it forms free radicals that can damage your genetic material and cause cell damage. To protect you, your cells produce antioxidants. Exercise protects you from free radicals by causing your cells to produce large amounts of antioxidants.