Researchers in the UK have found exercise increases the body’s endocannabinoid levels, helping to reduce pain and inflammation.
The University of Nottingham team tested 78 people with arthritis, 38 of whom did 15 minutes of muscle-strengthening exercises every day for six weeks, while the rest did nothing.
They found exercise in people with arthritis helped ease pain, reduced inflammation by lowering cytokine levels and increased endocannabinoid levels.
The increase in endocannabinoids was strongly linked to changes in gut microbes and the anti-inflammatory substances produced by them.
The researchers attributed up to one-third of the anti-inflammatory effects of the gut microbiome to the increase in endocannabinoids.
The study is published in Gut Microbes.
