Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Exercise responses vary widely among individuals, yet the biological basis of this variability remains poorly understood. Microbiota-derived metabolites operate on timescales of hours to days, making them insufficient to explain rapid gastrointestinal and performance changes that emerge within minutes of exercise. We propose that the enteric nervous system (ENS) fills this regulatory gap by integrating mechanical, immune, and microbial signals in real time. We review evidence that the ENS modulates gut motility, barrier function, and microbial ecology during exercise, engages in bidirectional crosstalk with the microbiota, and relays gut-derived signals to muscle and brain via neural and humoral routes. We further introduce the concept of neuro-enteric phenotypes to account for inter-individual differences in exercise tolerance and adaptation.
Source: npj Metabolic Health and Disease
Language: English
Subfield: Gastroenterology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,590
Award: G582325718
OpenAlex ID: W7135019067