Improve how your DNA works by Riding an Exercise Bike

The Epigenetics of Exercise

Allan Mishra, MD

You can’t change your DNA but you can change how it works. DNA is the coding program for all of the enzymes and proteins that make your body function. 

Epigenetics is a rapidly evolving area of science that studies how modifications on or around your DNA alter the production of specific molecules. Your DNA is fixed but how it works is affected by the proteins and chemical groups that surround the famous double helix.  You can think of epigenetics as variable signposts on the winding tracks of your DNA that either suppress or promote specific genes.  The proteins and chemical groups have fancy names like a “histone” or a “methyl group”.  These "epigenetic" markers don’t change your DNA but rather change how it interprets the underlying genetic code.  They can turn on or off a section of DNA and dramatically affect YOU.  The science is called “Epigenetics” and in 2015 and beyond, it will alter the way we all approach medicine and wellness.  Multiple articles about epigenetics have appeared in Time Magazine, the New York Times and many other elite publications.

Exercise is one way you can change how your DNA expresses itself via epigenetics in a positive fashion.  A recently published study required people to ride an exercise bike with one leg for 45 minutes four times per week for three months.  Before and after the exercise trial, the subjects had a muscle biopsy of both legs.  The researchers found "health enhancing adaptations" were induced by the "physiologic stimulus" of riding an exercise bike via epigenetic mechanisms in the leg that did the pedaling but not in the one that did nothing.  (Ref: Lindholm et al 2014)  The results are meaningful for anyone who wants to stay in shape and be active.  Importantly, the inherited proportion of physical performance has been shown to be about 50%. Therefore, about 50% of overall physical performance is dependent upon training and lifestyle.  (Ref:  Ehlert etal 2013)  This means that we are at least partially in control of how our bodies work and perform.  We can't blame all of our health problems on bad genes.  

Exercise has also been found to have positive effects on the central nervous system, the  cardiovascular system, the aging process, the prevention of type 2 diabetes and the prevention of cancer all via epigenetic mechanisms.  (Ref:  Ntanasis-Stathopoulos et al, 2013)

So, dust off the exercise bike in the garage, make time in your schedule to get to the gym, or join Soul-Cycle in 2015.

Specific immediate action items:  Consider starting your exercise routine with QuadCrunches and Hamstring Stretches.  They are simple exercises that can be done anywhere.  For the bike, try 20-30 minutes 3 times per week with moderate resistance.

Remember, exercise can literally change how your DNA functions and potentially save your life.

AM

TotalTendon

ALWAYS consult your own physicians before beginning any exercise program.

Best Overall Exercise: PowerKnee Bike Program (Knee OA Part 4)

The PowerKnee Bike Program uses an upright exercise bike to work out all of your leg muscles.  It is the best overall exercise for knee pain and arthritis because it can do so much for you without significant impact on the joint.   By simply riding the exercise bike for 30 minutes 3 times per week you can also improve your cardiovascular fitness and burn a bunch of calories.  See the video below for details.

Record the calories you can burn in 30 minutes and compare your results week by week for a month.  If you are consistent in applying the PowerKnee Bike Program you have an excellent chance of decreasing your pain and improving your knee function.

As always, check with your doc before beginning any exercise program.

AM
TotalTendon

Exercise Bike Intervals: The Fountain of Youth?

For years now, I have been preaching to my patients about why it is important to ride an exercise bike 30 minutes three times a week to improve their knee function.  It does help strengthen their leg muscles especially the quadriceps, hamstring and gluteal muscles if done consistently.  These are patients with all types of knee issues from meniscus tears to advanced knee osteoarthritis.
See a video of an exercise bike program.

Recent research also suggests that short intense intervals on a bike of one minute with a one minute recovery can significantly improve cardiovascular fitness and also lower blood sugar in patients with Type 2 Diabetes.  Below is an excerpt from a recently published NY Times article about the subject:

"Several years ago, the McMasters scientists did test a punishing workout, known as high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, that involved 30 seconds of all-out effort at 100 percent of a person’s maximum heart rate. After six weeks, these lacerating HIIT sessions produced similar physiological changesin the leg muscles of young men as multiple, hour-long sessions per week of steady cycling, even though the HIIT workouts involved about 90 percent less exercise time.

Recognizing, however, that few of us willingly can or will practice such straining all-out effort, the researchers also developed a gentler but still chronologically abbreviated form of HIIT. This modified routine involved one minute of strenuous effort, at about 90 percent of a person’s maximum heart rate (which most of us can estimate, very roughly, by subtracting our age from 220), followed by one minute of easy recovery. The effort and recovery are repeated 10 times, for a total of 20 minutes."  Read the full article here.  

I think the point is clear.  Almost anyone can begin with one minute intervals.  The data suggests that if you can build on that, your heart and blood sugar will improve in addition to strengthening your knees.  Not a bad suggestion for all of us.

AM

Total Tendon