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Endurance Exercise Has Stem Cells Make Bone over Fat

A mouse study found that endurance exercise influenced mesenchymal stem cells to turn into bone rather than into fat cells, leading to more oxygen carrying capacity and better immune function. Steve Mirsky reports














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Hi. I’m running. I’m also telling some of my stem cells what to do right now. Well, I probably am, based on a new study with mice.

We have what are called mesenchymal stem cells. This type of stem cell goes on to become either fat or bone. Researchers found out that endurance exercise triggers the stem cells to preferentially mature into bone. And having more bone cells means improved blood production, which means a higher oxygen carrying capacity, and better immune reaction and better wound clotting. The research appears in the Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology, commonly known as the FASEB Journal. [J. M. Baker, Michael De Lisio and Gianni Parise, "Endurance exercise training promotes medullary hematopoiesis"]

Researchers at McMaster University in Canada had mice work out on a treadmill for about an hour three times a week. A control group of mice watched Matlock reruns. Well, they may as well have. They did not work out. And the mice that exercised had way less fat in their bone marrow cavities, and a big increase in blood cells in the marrow and in the circulation. I don’t like exercising. But I really don’t like fat in my marrow.

—Steve Mirsky

[The above text is a transcript of this podcast.]


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  1. 1. sog001 04:06 PM 9/2/11

    I'm not sure that the title is entirely accurate, since there's nothing in the study methodology which distinguishes between generic "endurance exercise" and weight-bearing exercise. All that the study really tells us is that <i>running</i> appears to have this effect on bone marrow stem cells. Whether that's due to its aerobic or weight-bearing nature isn't addressed by the experimental design.

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  2. 2. Jurien 08:05 PM 9/2/11

    I agree the title is misleading. Rather than "over", I would suggest the words "instead of". I thought the article would be able bone cells being made over the top of fat cells, which is quite an interesting concept.

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  3. 3. abrasileirosilva 12:31 PM 9/3/11

    *We have what are called mesenchymal stem cells. This type of stem cell goes on to become either fat or bone.*
    Is it really like that?
    The Abstract DO NOT SAY about *mesenchymal stem cells*! (It says about * hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell*).
    The term, *Mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs, are multipotent stem cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types[1], including: osteoblasts (bone cells), chondrocytes (cartilage cells) and adipocytes (fat cells).* This according to a article on Wikipedia,reproduced in TheFreeDictionary *
    The term,*Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are multipotent stem cells that give rise to all the blood cell types…* According to the same fount.

    The Abstract states that: *Depending on the cell type, endurance training increased medullary and mobilized hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell content from 50 to 800%. Training also reduced marrow cavity fat by 78%. Skeletal muscle hematopoietic cytokine expression was also increased at least 60% by training.*
    And a little further : *In conclusion, endurance exercise training greatly promotes hematopoiesis and does so through improvements in medullary niche architecture as well as increased skeletal muscle hematopoietic cytokine production*

    Very well; let’s go once more to the dictionary (*TheFreeDictionary*):

    *he•ma•to•poi•e•sis also he•mo•poi•e•sis n.
    The formation of blood or blood cells in the body.*
    And this: *Thesaurus: Noun 1. hematopoiesis - the formation of blood cells in the living body (especially in the bone marrow)

    And what is *mesenchymal*? It is:
    *mes•en•chyme n.
    The part of the embryonic mesoderm, consisting of loosely packed, unspecialized cells set in a gelatinous ground substance, from which connective tissue, bone, cartilage, and the circulatory and lymphatic systems develop.*
    Also:
    *mesenchyme n
    (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Physiology) Embryol the part of the mesoderm that develops into connective tissue, cartilage, lymph, blood, etc.
    In the same dictionary:
    *ThesaurusLegend: Noun 1. mesenchyme - mesodermal tissue that forms connective tissue and blood and smooth muscles
    mesoblast, mesoderm - the middle germ layer that develops into muscle and bone and cartilage and blood and connective tissue*

    Nonetheless, I know, from the magazine on-line ScienceDaily, that the author of the research said that: *"The interesting thing was that a modest exercise program was able to significantly increase blood cells in the marrow and in circulation," says Parise. "What we're suggesting is that exercise is a potent stimulus -- enough of a stimulus to actually trigger a switch in these mesenchymal stem cells."*
    Therefore using that same term: *mesenchymal stem cell*.
    Look at that thing!

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  4. 4. jeffcarson 08:28 PM 9/3/11

    I've read the paper and there is actually no confusion in the terminology. The authors describe a shift in the differentiation of the mesenchymal stem cells. They go on to describe how this may result in a remodelled bone marrow cavity and how a remodelled bone marrow cavity can increase hematopoietic stem cell number. They define how mesenchymal stem cells are directly related to hematopoietic stem cell number.

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  5. 5. abrasileirosilva in reply to jeffcarson 07:39 AM 9/4/11

    Jeffcarson, thanks!

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  6. 6. Kotigoroshko 05:08 AM 9/7/11

    The loss of excess moisture in the body really takes the fat cells in the bone tissue. Emphasize the connection of tendons and bones. This makes the body more resilient. But the breath slows down, without risk to health. Increase in oxygen consumption occurs. Loss of carbon dioxide reduces the pressure on the walls of the alveoli and breathing slows. Breathing becomes normal. Excess oxygen causes disease in the body. Oxygen consumption decreases the pressure on the walls of the alveoli. Oxygen converts CO to CO2 in a gaseous state.

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  7. 7. Kotigoroshko 05:26 AM 9/7/11

    No increase in oxygen consumption, not happening.

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  8. 8. Kotigoroshko 05:27 AM 9/7/11

    No increase in oxygen consumption, not happening.

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  9. 9. Kotigoroshko 06:03 AM 9/7/11

    Exhalation predominates over the inbreath. In various pathologies, this relationship breaks down.

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