How a year of regular exercise alters the biology of stress
A new year-long study reveals that engaging in regular aerobic exercise lowers long-term levels of a major stress hormone, which might help protect against heart disease and mood disorders. Published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science, the clinical trial demonstrates how meeting standard physical activity guidelines benefits our underlying stress biology. These results suggest that breaking a sweat provides lasting physiological relief from chronic stress. Peter Gianaros, a psychology researcher at the University of Pittsburgh, led the investigation alongside a team of health and neuroscience specialists. The research team wanted to understand if training the body to handle physical exertion also trains the brain and body to handle mental pressure. They designed a trial to observe these biological adaptations over an entire year. When a person works out, their heart rate rises and their body experiences a temporary form of physical stress. Over time, regular exercise makes the cardiovascular system more efficient at handling this physical load. Researchers have proposed a concept called the cross-stressor adaptation hypothesis to explain how this works. This …
