Irisin
Its function: Irisin is literally referred to as the exercise hormone, which basically makes it your biological workout buddy. Recent research has shown it battles fat on two fronts: First by activating genes that turn bad white fat into good brown fat, and also by regulating undifferentiated stem cells to become bone-building cells instead of fat storage. Irisin hormone may also help protect brain cells from injury and aging.
The effect exercise has on it: Exercise greatly improves the Irisin hormone, getting sweaty alone has shown to stimulate your body’s irisin production. In one small trial, single afternoon sessions of both moderate-intensity exercise and HIIT raised levels of the hormone by 12 percent among obese women; in another study, single sessions of both intense endurance exercise and strength training increased irisin, all the more reason women should hit the heavyweights.
One effective way to boost the irisin in your body is to perform intermittent fasting for 18 hours and follow it with moderate exercise or HIIT training [2]. But even if you can’t follow that protocol, you’ll likely get an irisin boost just from working up a sweat.