Physical exercise, including resistance, aerobic, and multicomponent training, as well as sports participation (college, amateur, or elite level), and nutritional strategies are powerful environmental factors capable of positively influencing human physiology and behavior across the lifespan. These lifestyle components exert broad effects on physiological and neurobiological systems, contributing to health promotion, disease prevention, and psychological well-being.
Emerging evidence emphasizes that the benefits of exercise reflect highly integrated immunometabolic responses and dynamic communication between skeletal muscle and the brain. This muscle–brain interaction contributes to enhanced cognitive function, emotional regulation, and overall mental health, underscoring the biological foundation of the “exercise as medicine” paradigm.
This Research Topic aims to advance current knowledge on how exercise and/or nutrition induce muscle–brain–neuroimmunometabolic crosstalk across diverse populations, from the general population to athletes with or without mental disorders. We welcome submissions exploring the acute and chronic effects of physical exercise, alone or in combination with nutritional interventions, on physiological, psychological, or psychiatric outcomes.
We particularly encourage studies investigating innovative mechanisms, biomarkers, and translational approaches with clinical relevance that bridge basic and applied sciences. Contributions may include observational, experimental, longitudinal, and randomized controlled trials, as well as narrative reviews, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses.
By integrating insights from exercise physiology, neuroscience, immunology, and nutrition, this Research Topic seeks to foster a deeper understanding of how lifestyle-based exercise and nutrition relate to brain and body health, ultimately paving the way for more personalized and effective strategies in health promotion and disease management.
Article types and fees
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
Brief Research Report
Case Report
Clinical Trial
Conceptual Analysis
Data Report
Editorial
FAIR² Data
FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
General Commentary
Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.
Article types
This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:
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.
