Exercise Physiology and Metabolic Health

Exercise physiology examines the acute and chronic responses of the human body to physical activity, encompassing cardiovascular, respiratory, musculoskeletal and endocrine systems. Central to metabolic health is the capacity of tissues to regulate energy homeostasis, insulin sensitivity and lipid metabolism. Regular training induces mitochondrial biogenesis in skeletal muscle, enhances substrate utilisation and modulates inflammatory pathways. Emerging evidence highlights the role of bioactive signalling molecules secreted during exercise in orchestrating inter-organ crosstalk, with adaptations observed in adipose tissue, liver, brain and vasculature. These systemic changes reduce the risk of non-communicable diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and certain cancers, while improving functional capacity and quality of life. Understanding the mechanistic underpinnings of these adaptations informs the design of personalised exercise programmes and addresses global health challenges posed by sedentary lifestyles.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent large-scale multi-omic analyses of endurance training have mapped temporal molecular changes across blood, plasma and 18 solid tissues in male and female animal models. This work revealed thousands of shared and tissue-specific transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and epigenomic alterations over an eight-week training course. Key findings include coordinated regulation of immune response, mitochondrial pathways and stress-response networks, with notable sex differences in multiple organs. The comprehensive data set has shed light on mechanisms relevant to human conditions such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, inflammatory bowel disease and cardiovascular recovery, offering a foundational resource for exploring exercise-induced molecular adaptations.

Exercise Physiology and Metabolic Health publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in exercise physiology and metabolic health across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Exerkines: Bioactive molecules released by tissues in response to physical activity, mediating inter-organ communication and adaptation.

Multi-omic: Integrated analysis of multiple molecular layers, such as the genome, transcriptome, proteome and metabolome, to capture complex biological responses.

Cardiometabolic health: The combined state of cardiovascular and metabolic systems, reflecting risk and function related to heart disease, glucose regulation and lipid metabolism.

Mitochondrial biogenesis: The process of generating new mitochondria within cells, enhancing aerobic capacity and energy production.

References

1. Temporal dynamics of the multi-omic response to endurance exercise training. Nature (2024).
2. Aerobic, resistance, or combined exercise training and cardiovascular risk profile in overweight or obese adults: the CardioRACE trial. European Heart Journal (2024).
3. Exercise induces tissue-specific adaptations to enhance cardiometabolic health. Cell Metabolism (2024).