REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1618813
Polyphenols and exercise in autophagy regulation: Potential benefits for cancer management and healthspan
Provisionally accepted
- 1Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
- 2Department of Physical Education, Xidian University, Xi‘an, Shaanxi Province, China
- 3Guangdong Ersha Sports Training Center, Guangzhou, China
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Autophagy, a regulated cellular process, serves as both a tumor suppressor and a survival mechanism for tumor cells under stress in cancer. Recent studies demonstrate that polyphenols, bioactive compounds present in plant-derived foods, and exercise, a potent physiological stimulus, can efficiently modulate autophagy in both cancer patients and healthy individuals. This review explores the synergistic effects of polyphenols and exercise in regulating autophagy through key molecular pathways, including AMPK/mTOR, PI3K/Akt, and SIRT1/FOXO. Polyphenols such as quercetin, resveratrol, and curcumin possess autophagy-inducing properties, which may enhance exercise-induced cellular adaptations, contribute to cancer prevention, and improve metabolic health. Moreover, regular physical activity promotes autophagic flux, reducing oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis resistance-factors critical in cancer progression and overall health maintenance. The review highlights the potential of polyphenol-exercise synergy in modulating autophagy, which may result in innovative therapeutic approaches for cancer treatment and metabolic health.
Keywords: Polyphenols, Exercise, Autophagy, Cancer, Oxidative Stress, Metabolic health
Received: 27 Apr 2025; Accepted: 14 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hu, Liu, Cao and Jin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: MengDi Hu, Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xi'an, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.