When working out, males are programmed to burn more fat, while females recycle it–at least in rats | Science & Technology

“Everyone knows that exercise is good for you, but no one knows exactly why,” said Joshua Adkins, a scientist at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and a corresponding author of a study published online May 1 in Nature Metabolism. “We don’t know what’s happening in the body that creates such great benefits.”

The results come from the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC), a years-long study investigating the molecular actions that translate vigorous movement into a glut of health benefits. The collaboration stretches across more than two dozen sites around the country, involving more than 100 scientists.

The group published its core paper in the journal Nature on May 1, finding that the effects of exercise are extensive, affecting more than 35,000 molecules. No tissue studied goes unchanged.

The study subjects were rats, which share much of their basic physiology with people. This group of scientists is now studying more than 1,500 people, using the findings from rats…