Exercise lowers the risk of many diseases, but scientists still don't fully understand how exercise changes the body on a molecular （分子的） level. Most studies have focused on a single organ, sex, or time point, and only include one or two data types.
To take a more comprehensive look at the biology of exercise, scientists with the Molecular Transducers of Physical Activity Consortium (MoTrPAC) used a range of techniques in the lab to analyze molecular changes in rats as they were put through the paces of weeks of intense exercise.
The team studied a range of tissues from the animals, such as the heart, brain, and lungs. They found that each of the organs they looked at changed with exercise, helping the body to regulate the immune system（免疫系统）， respond to stress, and control pathways connected to inflammatory（发炎的） liver disease, heart disease, and tissue injury.
The data provide potential clues into many different human health conditions; for example, the researchers found a possible explanation for why the liver becomes less fatty during exercise, which could help in the development of new treatments for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
The team hopes that their findings could one day be used to tailor exercise to an individual's health status or to develop treatments that mimic the effects of physical activity for people who are unable to exercise. They have already started studies on people to track the molecular effects of exercise.
"It took a village of scientists with distinct scientific backgrounds to generate and integrate the massive amount of high-quality data," said a co-senior author of the study. "This is the first whole-organism map looking at the effects of training in multiple different organs. The resource produced will be enormously valuable, and has already produced many potentially novel biological insights for further exploration."
