A research team led by Professor Park Ki-soo of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Korea University Ansan Hospital proved the anti-stress effect of exercise for the first time in the world through a nuclear medicine video.
Stress is cited as a major risk factor for all diseases, including neurotic ulcers and cardiovascular disease, and it is known that obese people, in particular, have higher stress levels than those who do not. In addition, exercise is known to relieve stress, but there was no objective video data to prove it.
The research team imaged and quantified "amygdala activity," a cerebral area that controls stress responses in obese women and normal people, through a nuclear medical imaging technique, "18F-FDG PET/CT," They finally confirmed that the activity of amygdala increased by about 1.5 times compared to normal people. This shows that the stress level of obese women is higher than that of normal people.
Furthermore, the activity of the amygdala decreased by about 20% after aerobic and muscle resistance exercise were performed for three months in obese women. While the activity of the amygdala decreased, the body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure also decreased significantly.
Professor Park Ki-soo said, "This study is the world's first study to prove the anti-stress effect of exercise through objective images. Nuclear medical images are highly valuable as a stress evaluation index in various clinical treatment strategies."
The research paper was published in the latest issue of the international journal "Frontiers in Endocrinology."