Photo: UBCO
The University of British Columbia Okanagan is looking at the connection between exercise and reducing chronic inflammation.
UBCO researchers Dr. Jonathan Little and Dr. Hashim Islam are studying how chronic inflammation can prevent a person’s immune system from protecting them and how exercise might be the answer.
An associate professor and postdoctoral researcher, Dr. Islam is from the UBC Okanagan School of Health and Exercise Sciences.
“Chronic inflammation is when there is an imbalance of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory molecules in your body. We use the example of a slow-burning flame, or brake, in the context of chronic disease,” explains Dr. Little.
“Most people study pro-inflammatory molecules and how to reduce them, which is similar to removing fuel from a fire. Our work, which is quite novel, looks at how to make anti-inflammatory molecules like interleukin-10, similar to a fire extinguisher, work better and stop inflammation.”
Dr. Islam says that the immune system is critical to preventing infection, eliminating pathogens, and repairing damaged tissue during recovery from illness or injury. But when immune cells become overactive, they can overproduce and release small hormone-like molecules that can affect the normal function of vital body tissues and organs.
“This persistent state of immune cell hyperactivation is known as chronic inflammation and is linked to the development and progression of several long-term diseases commonly found in modern society. These include cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension or stroke and type 2 diabetes, and we are particularly interested in studying the type 2 diabetes aspect,” says Dr. Islam.
Lifestyle factors such as unbalanced nutrition, weight gain, obesity and physical inactivity can aggravate chronic inflammation, adds Dr. Little. These conditions increase the probability that a person will suffer from various cardiometabolic diseases. On the other hand, exercise- and diet-induced weight loss are effective in reducing chronic inflammation in the body and lowering the risk of developing cardiometabolic diseases.
The researchers are specifically looking at interleukin-10, a molecule that normally acts to inhibit inflammation, and mechanisms that may explain why and when interleukin-10 doesn’t work well to inhibit inflammation in people with type 2 diabetes. The goal is to implement a practical lifestyle intervention involving short, frequent bouts of activity (walking after meals or snacking for exercise) throughout the day to improve blood glucose and restore the anti-inflammatory actions of interleukin-10 .
“This approach has shown benefits for lowering glucose in people with type 2 diabetes,” says Dr. Islam. “Given the previously identified link between hyperglycemia and impaired interleukin-10 action, this may be a viable nonpharmacologic strategy to restore anti-inflammatory cytokine action in people with type 2 diabetes.”
