Exercise intervention for obesity via modulating metabolic flexibility: A molecular perspective (review)

Area of Science:

• Metabolic research
• Obesity studies
• Exercise physiology

Background:

• Obesity is a major health risk and cause of chronic diseases.
• Exercise is a common approach for obesity management, but its efficacy is debated.
• Skeletal muscle metabolic flexibility is crucial for weight loss and linked to muscle fiber types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine exercise intervention effects on obese individuals with varying muscle types.
• To investigate the connections between obesity, exercise, and metabolic flexibility.
• To identify molecular targets for treating metabolic inflexibility.

Main Methods:

• Review of studies on high-calorie diet-induced obesity.
• Analysis of the relationship between obesity, exercise, and metabolic flexibility.
• Exploration of muscle fiber type influences on metabolic responses to exercise.

Main Results:

• Skeletal muscle metabolic flexibility plays a key role in exercise-induced weight loss.
• Muscle fiber type composition influences how individuals respond to exercise for obesity management.
• Understanding these links can guide therapeutic strategies.

Conclusions:

• Exercise interventions need to consider individual metabolic flexibility and muscle type.
• Targeting molecular pathways involved in metabolic flexibility may enhance obesity treatment.
• Further research can inform combined therapeutic approaches for metabolic inflexibility.