"Anti-Stress Effects of Exercise, First Visual Evidence by Korean Medical Team Worldwide"

Research Team Led by Professor Park Gisu, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital

[Asia Economy Reporter Myunghwan Lee] Domestic medical professionals have visualized and proven the anti-stress effects of exercise through nuclear medicine imaging for the first time in the world.

Korea University Ansan Hospital announced on the 17th that Professor Kisoo Park's research team in the Department of Nuclear Medicine visualized the anti-stress effects of exercise using the advanced nuclear medicine imaging technique '18F-FDG PET/CT.'

Stress is identified as a major risk factor for diseases including cardiovascular diseases. In particular, obese individuals are known to have higher stress levels compared to non-obese individuals. Although exercise is known to relieve stress, there has been no objective imaging evidence to prove this until now.

The research team first visualized and quantified the activity of the amygdala, a brain region that controls stress responses, in obese women and normal individuals using 18F-FDG PET/CT. Through this, they confirmed that the amygdala activity in the obese women group was about 1.5 times higher compared to the normal group. This demonstrated through imaging indicators that obese women have higher stress levels than normal individuals.

Professor Ki-Soo Park, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital

Furthermore, after conducting aerobic exercise and muscle resistance training for 3 months on the obese women group, they confirmed through stress imaging indicators that the amygdala activity decreased by about 20%. During the decrease in amygdala activity, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and blood pressure all significantly decreased.

Professor Park emphasized, "This study is the first in the world to objectively prove the anti-stress effects of exercise through imaging," adding, "Nuclear medicine imaging has high value as a stress evaluation indicator in various clinical treatment strategies to reduce stress."

This research paper was published in the latest issue of the international academic journal 'Frontiers in Endocrinology.'