A Benefit of Exercise That You Probably Haven't Heard Much About

There are so many reasons for an individual to exercise regularly. Whether you are looking to regaining that long lost six-pack abs, build some muscle, or simply feel good about yourself, sweating out is a vital part of living a healthy lifestyle.

Countless research studies have validated as much, but at present, new research has exposed an unexpected yet undeniably impressive additional exercise benefit.

Specifically, the University of Virginia's School of Medicine researchers have found that workout can contribute to the prevention, or at least slowing down of loss of vision.

Most notably, the results suggest that workout or exercise is specifically efficient at fighting the so-called "macular degeneration, as among the most typical forms of blindness."

In addition, exercising may help prevent as well, other eye conditions, which include glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

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Test in Lab Mice

The UV research group, through the use of lab mice, presented that exercise lessened the amount of damaging blood vessel overgrowth in the eyes of rodents. 

Relatively, the extra blood vessels' entanglement in the eye, is a characteristic forerunner to macular degeneration, as well as the other different eye conditions.

This is the first-ever study initiative to take place, which links exercise to macular degeneration. The research indicated that if such results can definitely be verified, such a discovery could possibly save innumerable individuals' eyesight.

In just the United States alone, millions of people have suffered from the said eye illness. According to Bradley Gelfand, Ph.D., a researcher, there has "long been a question" as to whether retaining a healthy life can defer or avoid the progression of macular degeneration.

The manner that particular question has traditionally been answered has been through surveys conducted on respondents, asking them about their usual diet and the frequency of exercise they perform regularly. 

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The Most Sophisticated Study Conducted

Gelfand, a researcher from the Center for Advanced Vision Science of UVA, in a university statement, said, the said research "has been the most sophisticated study" ever done.

However, he added, the conflict with a study is that individuals are "extremely bad self-reporters." More so, he continued, it can result in conclusions or findings that may not be right or false.

But this study, the researcher explained, provides hard proofs from the laboratory for the first time. Furthermore, the study indicated, one does not need to work out really that hard to gain such benefits.

Among the mice observed in the lab, what was significant was that they were exercising regardless of the intensity of their physical movement.

Meanwhile, Gelfand explained that mice are similar people that "they do a spectrum of workout." So long as the mice had the wheel to ran on, there was seen an advantage, said Gelfand.

A comparison of the rodents being examined that was willingly working out with lazy mice showed that the fit rats had lessened their overgrowth of the optical blood vessel by 45 percent.

An examination followed suit to validate such results, and that time the working out rodents showed a 32-percent decline in their overgrowth of the ophthalmic blood vessel.

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