Humans aren’t meant to be sedentary.
Your whole body changes when you exercise — right down to your organs and cells.
Exercise doesn’t just tone muscles. It transforms the entire body at a molecular level. In a study published in Nature, researchers from UF Health, as part of the National Institutes of Health-funded MoTrPAC (Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium), discovered that virtually all organs in lab rats showed profound molecular changes after just weeks of treadmill training.
Analyzing 19 different tissues, including lungs, spleen, intestines, and adrenal glands, the team identified more than 35,000 molecular features — proteins, genes, and metabolites — that changed as a result of exercise. These findings begin to map out the intricate biological responses that help explain why exercise prevents disease and supports overall health.
Importantly, the study revealed sex-specific responses to exercise and highlighted organ systems often overlooked in fitness research, such as the gut and adrenal glands. Notably, exercise appeared to benefit intestinal health, pointing to potential treatment avenues for conditions like irritable bowel syndrome and chronic inflammation.
The ongoing research will eventually include human trials, but this detailed preclinical data is already available in a public database, paving the way for innovations in preventive health strategies and drug development.
As lead investigator Karyn Esser, Ph.D., notes, “Exercise is an incredibly potent physiological stimulus for human health,” and now we are starting to understand just how deeply it affects the body.
source
M. Rea. “Study pinpoints molecular changes in rats after exercise” (2024). UF College of Medicine