Pushing Back the Frontiers of Sports Science with State-of-the-Art Technologies in Molecular and Cellular Biology<1>
Takayuki Akimoto
Professor, Faculty of Sport Sciences, Waseda University
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Interest in the health benefits of exercise
How to lead a long, healthy life is a common concern in Japan’s super-aged society. Unfortunately, research on healthy living is not as advanced as that conducted for treatment of diseases. The health benefits of exercise are considered obvious, but their molecular mechanisms are little understood at present. Exercise triggers many reactions in our bodies. The body temperature rises, and the heartbeat and breathing speed up. Muscles experience the input of dynamic stimuli (i.e., mechanical stress), which is one of the focuses of the research carried out at my laboratory. We are exploring how muscles adapt to the mechanical environment at the cellular and molecular levels.
Having played rugby at high school, university and graduate school, I have always been interested in research related to exercise and health. The secret to leading healthy lives has been ascertained through epidemiological studies. These involve periodically collecting data from a large cohort regarding lifestyle, exercise experience, health conditions and so forth. Then, the data is analyzed statistically to identify correlations, such as the benefits of exercise on health, and the relationship between dietary habits and health. one well-known example of these studies is the Framingham Heart Study, which started in the 1940s in the United States, and a variety of systematic surveys have been carried out since. Waseda University has also launched an epidemiological study known as the WASEDA's Health Study project, targeting alumni. (238 words)
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