The cause of chronic fatigue after workouts revealed

Brazilian researchers have uncovered the secret of overtraining: the PARP1 protein turned out to be the main culprit behind body exhaustion during excessive workloads. The revolutionary discovery was published in the prestigious scientific journal Molecular Metabolism (MolMeta).

Specialists have long known that excessive physical exertion without proper recovery can not only slow down the growth of athletic achievements but also significantly undermine health. In the most severe cases, overtraining syndrome develops, characterized by a whole complex of negative symptoms: decreased endurance, loss of appetite, accumulation of chronic fatigue, muscle pain, increased risk of injury, as well as serious disruptions in the immune system and metabolism.

To identify the root cause of these destructive processes, scientists organized an experiment involving laboratory mice. The test animals were subjected to intense workloads until complete exhaustion. After such extreme training sessions, the rodents exhibited classic signs of overtraining: a sharp decrease in performance, apathetic state, and stress behavior, expressed in freezing in place or compulsive fur licking.

Laboratory analysis of tissues revealed that in the muscles of the exhausted animals, the activity of the PARP1 protein, responsible for repairing DNA damage, increased dramatically. Researchers explained that although the main function of this protein is to protect cells during stress, its excessive amount leads to mitochondrial dysfunction, development of inflammatory processes, and serious disruptions in energy metabolism.

As noted by Barbara Crisol, one of the leading authors of the study, a similar clinical picture is observed not only in overtraining but also in such serious conditions as muscular dystrophy, obesity, and even cachexia — an extreme degree of exhaustion often accompanying oncological diseases.