Physical activity and modification of lifestyle induce benefits on the health status

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MS) includes a various factors such as hyperglycemia, high blood pressure and hypercholesterolemia that predispose individuals to the development of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Furthermore, MS is strongly associated with obesity, indeed, it is well know that abdominal and/or visceral adipose tissue accumulation is a contributory cause of MS development. These diseases are associated with multiple metabolic toxicities resulting from the oxidative stress, which are the product of reactive oxygen species. In this scenario, a corrected nutrition and adequate physical activity are important measures against MS, obesity, aging and prevention of cardiovascular disease and cancer. In this regards, the healthy lifestyle, and in particular correct physical activity, represents one the epigenetic strategies against MS, having beneficial and anti-inflammatory effects, reducing the production of free radicals and the risk to development cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The aim of this review is to discuss on physical activity and its role in modification of lyfestile inducing beneficial effect on health status. Material and method: We performed a data literature analysis from PubMed. We analyze data from multiple studies reporting that physical activity decreases body adiposity and the physical exercise reduces the fat mass in a dose dependent. Physical activity decreases abdominal visceral and subcutaneous fat indipendently of changes in dietary energy intake in healthy, overweight and obese man and women, suggesting that training is critical in the treatment, or prevention, of MS. Also, it induces the expression of a many genes involved in the repair of cellular damage and reduces the expression of genes involved in the mechanisms of oxidative stress and inflammation, activating numerous metabolic pathways and down-regulating the production of mediators of inflammation and ROS production. Conclusion: the physical activity can be an efficient therapeutic approach in MS, promoting weight loss in obesity and reducing cardiovascular disease and diabetes risks.