Regular exercise leaves lasting molecular imprint on metabolism and immunity

In a study published on 18 September 2026 in Science Advances, scientists from the Therapeutic Clinic of Alexandra Hospital investigated how consistent exercise influences the body at a molecular level. The cohort comprised 40 regular exercisers and 46 sedentary individuals matched for age, diet, smoking, alcohol use, and sleep. Standard blood tests already showed lower fasting glucose, lower triglycerides and higher HDL in the active group.

Metabolomic profiling uncovered increased pathways for the Krebs cycle, amino-acid metabolism and antioxidant defenses, as well as heightened fatty-acid oxidation and ketogenesis. Single-cell analyses of over a million immune cells demonstrated widespread gene-expression and epigenetic shifts, boosting antigen-processing, CD8+ T-cell activation and natural-killer cell cytotoxicity while reducing markers of oxidative stress and inflammation. The findings suggest that regular physical activity creates a broad, lasting molecular signature that improves metabolic health and fine-tunes immune responses.