Page 70 - Tracy Anderson Magazine – Summer 2020

GOING THE

MOLECULAR MILE

How exercise and EcSOD protect the body.

We know that exercise has so many benefits for bloodstream and is able to bind to our muscles, tis-
our overall health, from boosting our mood and sues, and vital organs, neutralizing free radicals as it
cognitive functioning to balancing our hormones goes and providing the entire body with protection
and keeping our organs healthy and strong. Howev- against oxidative stress and various diseases. “This
er, the puzzling thing is that we also know that antioxidant is also different than the one we take,”
exercise produces free radicals (molecules created he says, “because of its binding ability, which allows
by oxygen when your body is exposed to toxins or it to stay in the tissue.”
under stress) that can lead to damage and disease.
But despite this, those who exercise more have We still don’t know how antioxidant supplements
less oxidative stress overall and less damage and react with our gut microbiome, and we have no
disease, and even prevention against coronavirus. insurance that they will go to the right organs and
“All-cause mortality is inversely related to the muscles and provide protection, Dr. Yan explains.
ability to exercise,” says Dr. Zhen Yan, a molecular Our body’s own natural antioxidant defense is
biologist with a lab at the University of Virginia. He truly powerful and effective and forms the crucial
has dedicated his life’s work to researching what pillar of our molecular balance. It is this molecular
happens in the body when we exercise that creates balance, together with physical balance, that allows
such an enormous benefit to our overall health and, exercise to have a huge protective effect on our
at the same time, neutralizes any negative effects of bodies. “Generally speaking, more exercise is better
free radicals. for most of us,” says Dr. Yan. We couldn’t agree
more.
“Everything about our biology is about homeo-
stasis,” explains Dr. Yan. The key is maintaining However, Dr. Yan’s most groundbreaking finding
both physical and molecular balance. Physically, yet: EcSOD can provide protection to acute
we should strive for a sweet spot between too respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is the
little exercise that isn’t enough for optimal health cause of mortality for most COVID-19 patients.
and too much exercise that causes injury to the “This is the time to stand up and exercise regularly,
body. To understand molecular balance, Dr. Yan even under the conditions we have now,” says Dr.
has discovered that when we exercise, our body Yan. This valuable insight is likely a promising
naturally boosts production of antioxidants. His step toward improving coronavirus prevention and
work focuses on one antioxidant specifically—extra- perhaps even our silver bullet. “I feel this is a very
cellular superoxide dismutase (EcSOD). EcSOD is hopeful approach, maybe gene therapy, maybe
a super-antioxidant that works in incredible ways protein therapy, or we can develop pharmacolog-
in the body. This antioxidant is formed in skeletal ical mimetics of EcSOD to provide protection for
muscle when we exercise. But unlike our other patients who cannot exercise,” Dr. Yan says.
natural antioxidants, EcSOD travels through the

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