Research

Hormonal

In obese individuals, higher physical activity levels are associated with significantly lower serum concentrations of specific anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-10, IL-13) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ, TNF-α), independent of BMI.

If you have obesity, increasing your daily physical activity (measured by steps or energy expenditure) is associated with lower levels of key inflammatory markers in your blood, even if your weight doesn't change immediately. Focus on consistent movement to help modulate your immune response.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
In participants with general obesity, levels of IL-4, IL-10 and IL-13 were significantly elevated in participants with low physical activity, even when controlled for BMI which was negatively associated with physical acitivity.
Frank Schmidt et al. · PLoS ONE · 2015

Why this rating

Cross-sectional study design limits causal inference, though the sample size (n=200) and objective actigraphy measures are strengths.

Source

Inflammatory Cytokines in General and Central Obesity and Modulating Effects of Physical Activity

Frank Schmidt et al. · PLoS ONE · 2015

DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0121971

cross_sectional · n=200Cited 471×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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