Some days it seems like there are no eternal truths when it comes to medicine or physiology or any other branch of science dealing with the human body.
So be prepared to be surprised.
A couple hours of biking or a real vigorous run, they say, gives us a high, a feeling of well being. Frequently called “a runner’s high.” And it’s all because vigorous exercise releases endorphins into our blood.
Endorphins, it has been said, cause the running’s high.
Not so fast, Bunku.
The latest research seems to show that vigorous exercise does in fact create more endorphins in the blood, and there is no doubt that for most people that exercise produces a good feeling, a greater sense that all is right with the world.
The problem is that endorphins are such large molecules that they flow into the brain.
That’s the gist of an article in The New York Times Magazine by Gretchen Reynolds, who goes on to track down the real culprit, or perhaps better put, the real source. It turns out that the substance that may cause the high is the same substance this is released when people smoke marijuana. It’s called endocannabinoids.
The science is too preliminary to say for certain that there is a cause and effect relationship, especially since all the experiments so far have been on rodents, unable to confirm that they are feeling “pure happiness elation, a feeling of unity with one’s and/or nature, endless peacefulness.”
There’s no question vigorous exercise causes most people to feel better.
It’s just that the next time somebody claims “my endorphins kicked in,” you can smile knowingly, and say, “Not likely. It’s probably your endocannabinoids.” And then ride off while they’re scratching their head.
