South African scientists have shown that fatigue feels from a chemical substance called interleukin-6 (IL-6) to the brain. This findings are expected to help find methods for treating diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome.
It is generally believed that fatigue is the result of excessive fatigue that cannot function. But more and more evidence suggest that the brain will issue "Directive" in the muscles that have not been overwork, so that people feel fatigue to prevent damage to the muscles. Scientists at the University of South Africa have found that interleukin-6 is a multi-functional cytokine that plays an important role in the human immune system. After long exercise, the level of interleukin-6 in the human body will rise to sixty times to one hundred times. Injection of interleukin-6 giving healthy people will make people feel fatigue.
Scientists have tested seven athletes. Before they run the millimeter long run, I injecting interleukin-6, another group of placebo, and then recording long running results. After a week, two groups were exchanged, and then tried again. As a result, after injection of interleukin-6, the performance of the athlete is about a minute than the injection of the placebo. In the mid-range run, a minute is already quite obvious difference.
The researchers say that some athletes will feel abnormal fatigue in a certain period of time, which may not work properly, which may be too much interleukin-6 in the body. Using antibodies prevents interleukin-6, it is possible to reduce fatigue, relieve symptoms of related diseases. However, experts also pointed out that due to many other physiological functions, it may have a negative impact due to many other physiological functions, so that inhibiting interleukin-6 methods need to be cautious before they are used in practice.
