Exercise modulates food reward: neurobiological mechanisms and implications for weight management

Exercise is widely recommended for body weight management and metabolic health, yet its effects are not explained by energy expenditure alone. Post-exercise food choice, hedonic eating, and compensatory energy intake may attenuate expected training benefits. Food reward, encompassing hedonic "liking" and motivational "wanting," is therefore a useful framework for understanding variability in exercise-related weight outcomes. For this narrative review, the literature search was performed using titles, abstracts, keywords, and subject headings as search fields. The search strategy was structured around three core concept modules-exercise, food reward, and potential mechanisms-and Boolean operators were used to combine search terms and develop the retrieval syntax. Relevant published studies were identified through EBSCO, ProQuest, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection from database inception to April 2026. The overall search process was informed by the SANRA (Scale for the Assessment of Narrative Review Articles) principles. The effects of acute and chronic exercise on food reward, together with the neurobiological mechanisms that may contribute to these responses, were examined. Acute exercise may transiently alter the reward value of energy-dense foods, and the direction and magnitude of this effect appear to be influenced by exercise-related factors, including intensity, modality, and time of day, as well as individual factors such as meal-related conditions and body composition. By contrast, chronic exercise may induce adaptive changes in eating behavior and may promote a shift toward healthier dietary patterns. Candidate mechanisms may include changes in mesolimbic dopamine signaling, μ-opioid signaling, insulin-related pathways, glucagon-like peptide-1 signaling, the gut-brain vagal axis, the endocannabinoid system, and stress-sensitive neural circuits. Exercise may also partly counteract diet-induced reward dysfunction and, in some individuals, may be associated with healthier food choice patterns. However, the literature remains heterogeneous because studies differ in population characteristics, exercise protocols, and the reward dimensions assessed. A clearer understanding of these interacting mechanisms may help inform nutrition-informed, exercise-based strategies to support appetite regulation, improve dietary adherence, and enhance long-term weight management.