Exercise as a Central Pillar for Targeted Health and Performance

Exercise functions as both a therapeutic and preventive measure against various chronic conditions, including diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and mental health disorders. By improving critical health parameters like blood glucose levels, blood pressure, and lipid profiles, exercise can reduce or modify the need for medications. Furthermore, exercise influences the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of medications, potentially affecting their absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and overall therapeutic effects. The interactions between exercise and these pharmacological interventions are essential, especially as they may reduce the side effects of medications used in severe conditions like cancer or enhance the efficacy of treatments through improved patient outcomes.

This Research Topic aims to investigate how exercise, through various modalities such as aerobic, resistance, and high-intensity interval training, can serve as a foundational intervention in managing chronic diseases and enhancing athletic performance. We are particularly interested in understanding how exercise combined with pharmacological treatments or dietary supplements can promote health benefits and optimize athletic performance. The goal is to explore these synergies to provide more integrated and effective strategies for patient and athlete care.

To gather further insights within this multidimensional field, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• The impact of exercise on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of common medications used in chronic diseases.
• Exercise and its role in deprescribing processes, particularly in reducing medication dosages in clinical treatments.
• Synergistic effects of exercise and dietary supplements on athletic performance metrics such as strength, reaction time, and metabolic capacity.
• Case studies on exercise regimes enhancing the efficacy or mitigating the side effects of
pharmacological treatments.
• Reviews analyzing the integrated approach of exercise with drug therapy or dietary strategies in managing specific health conditions.

Keywords: exercise, Drugs, Supplements, Health, Sports Performance, Exercise Prescription, Sports Training, Athletic Performance, Medications Dosage, Physical Activity, Microbiota and Exercise, Microbiome and Exercise, Therapeutic Exercise

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.