Home › Research › Risk factors
The role of exercise-induced myokines in muscle homeostasis and the defense against chronic diseases
Brandt C, Pedersen BK.. Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology, 2010-03-09
Topic: Brain proteins, microglia and lab models
Chronic inflammation is involved in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, neurodegeneration, and tumour growth. Regular exercise offers protection against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, breast cancer, and dementia. Evidence suggests that the protective effect of exercise may to some extent be ascribed to the antiinflammatory effect of regular exercise. Here we suggest that exercise may exert its anti-inflammatory effect via a reduction in visceral fat mass and/or by induction of an anti-inflammatory environment with each bout of exercise. According to our theory, such effects may in part be mediated via muscle-derived peptides, so-called "myokines". Contracting skeletal muscles release myokines with endocrine effects, mediating direct anti-inflammatory effects, and/or specific effects on visceral fat. Other myokines work locally within the muscle and exert their effects on signalling pathways involved in fat oxidation and glucose uptake. By mediating anti-inflammatory effects in the muscle itself, myokines may also counteract TNF-driven insulin resistance. In conclusion, exercise-induced myokines appear to be involved in mediating both systemic as well as local anti-inflammatory effects.
Key findings
- Evidence suggests that the protective effect of exercise may to some extent be ascribed to the antiinflammatory effect of regular exercise.
- Here we suggest that exercise may exert its anti-inflammatory effect via a reduction in visceral fat mass and/or by induction of an anti-inflammatory environment with each bout of exercise.
- In conclusion, exercise-induced myokines appear to be involved in mediating both systemic as well as local anti-inflammatory effects.
Why it matters
This review suggests that regular exercise may protect against conditions including dementia, partly through anti-inflammatory effects mediated by muscle-derived myokines. These are proposed mechanisms, and the review does not show that exercise treats or prevents Alzheimer's disease.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Risk factors, ranked →
Study details
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 49/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, sample size, effect reported, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on journal's citation record, so that was left out: it earned 47 of the 96 points we could judge it on, which is 49 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology) |
| Journal's citation record | — / 4 | No journal record from OpenAlex — left out of this score |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2010 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 6 / 7 | Cited 430 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 4 / 5 | 23.9 citations a year over 18 year(s) since 2010 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 28.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 47 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Bente Klarlund Pedersen: h-index 151 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Copenhagen: institution h-index 1,378 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 20224659) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Points | 47 / 96 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 47 of the 96 points we could judge it on is 49 out of 100. |
| Total | 49 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
- DOI: 10.1155/2010/520258
- PubMed: 20224659
- Original source →
- Free full text: BioMed Research International →
Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Brandt, C., & Pedersen, B. K. (2010). The role of exercise-induced myokines in muscle homeostasis and the defense against chronic diseases. Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology. https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/520258
Vancouver
Brandt C, Pedersen BK. The role of exercise-induced myokines in muscle homeostasis and the defense against chronic diseases. Journal of biomedicine & biotechnology. 2010. doi:10.1155/2010/520258. PMID: 20224659.
BibTeX
@article{brandt2010-20224659,
author = {Brandt, C. and Pedersen, B. K.},
title = {{The role of exercise-induced myokines in muscle homeostasis and the defense against chronic diseases}},
journal = {Journal of biomedicine \& biotechnology},
year = {2010},
doi = {10.1155/2010/520258},
pmid = {20224659},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/520258}
}
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here.
Later studies that cite this one
1 study in the alzhub library lists this one in its references.
Related studies in Risk factors
Also tagged “mice”
1,150 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mice”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 1,150 tagged studies.