According to a study ("Obesity treatment: Weight loss versus increasing fitness and physical activity for reducing health risks"), almost one third of people worldwide are overweight. Therefore, many people who suffer from excess pounds try to lose weight and reduce their weight permanently. The background: it is considered very beneficial both aesthetically and health-wise to be slim.

But is that really correct? A study in the scientific journal iScience now shows that sufficient exercise is obviously more decisive than weight. This means that exercise is good for your health, even if it doesn't make you lose weight. The team of scientists from Arizona State University evaluated numerous studies for this purpose, reports "Deutschlandradio". The conclusion in a nutshell: Many people do not get sick because they are too fat, but because they do too little exercise. People who exercise regularly and stay fit can reduce their risk of illness, even if the number on the scales does not change.

Weight-based approach to obesity largely ineffective

More specifically, the study "Obesity treatment: Weight loss versus increasing fitness and physical activity for reducing health risks" by Glenn A. Gaesser and Siddhartha S. Angadi (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102995), focusing on the United States, states: "The increasing prevalence of weight loss attempts in the United States has been accompanied by the increasing prevalence of obesity. A weight-based approach to obesity treatment and prevention has therefore proven largely ineffective. It is unlikely that continued focus on weight loss as the primary outcome criterion will reverse the trend in obesity prevalence or lead to sustained weight loss. Rather, chronic weight fluctuations are the norm for millions of adults, and are likely to remain so as long as weight loss remains the cornerstone of obesity treatment. Weight fluctuations are associated with health risks very similar to those of obesity, including a higher risk of all-cause mortality, and may contribute to weight gain."

Sport can promote brain health

This means: exercise is always important, and looking at the scales is not the decisive factor. Because: A new study by Harvard Medical School now shows that regular sport can promote brain health. The decisive factor is the body's own hormone irisin, which is produced in the muscles during sport and plays a role in the formation of brain cells. This is reported by "RTL" with reference to the "New York Times".

The article says: "The scientists around Dr. Bruce Spiegelman initially speculated that sporting activity could directly change the biochemical milieu in the brain without involving the muscles. Another assumption was that the muscles and other tissues release substances during physical activity that lead to an improvement in brain health. But in this case, this substance would have to be able to cross the protective and mostly impermeable blood-brain barrier that separates our brain from the rest of our body."

Movement stimulates the formation of new neurons in the memory centre

One finding: the hormone irisin is produced in muscle tissue during physical exertion and released into the bloodstream. Overall, results of the study strongly suggest to the scientists that irisin is a key element that "links movement with cognition", they say. Older studies already show that exercise stimulates the formation of new neurons in the memory centre of the brain and that active people are far less likely to develop Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia than people who rarely exercise.

 In order to regularly support the approximately 170 billion brain cells in their hard work, Natura Vitalis has combined numerous vital substances in the product "Brainfit". These include, for example, the special ginkgo extract EGb 761, vitamin B 6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid and the trace element zinc.

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