Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41244680›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in microbiology2025

The gut-muscle axis: a comprehensive review of the interplay between physical activity and gut microbiota in the prevention and treatment of muscle wasting disorders.

Yan Xu, Benxiang He

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in microbiology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
14citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

14 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Yan XuCollege of Sports and Health, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China.
Benxiang HeCollege of Sports and Health, Chengdu Sport University, Chengdu, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Skeletal muscle wasting disorders, such as sarcopenia and cachexia, pose a significant clinical challenge. The gut-muscle axis, a bidirectional signaling network, is now understood to be a critical regulator of muscle homeostasis, with the gut microbiota functioning as a key metabolic organ. Physical activity is a cornerstone intervention, exerting benefits by directly stimulating muscle and by favorably modulating the composition and metabolic output of the gut microbiota. This review synthesizes the molecular mechanisms of muscle wasting and the pathways of the gut-muscle axis, with a specific focus on microbial metabolites like short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). We analyze how different exercise modalities modulate this system and critically evaluate evidence from human trials. By identifying key research gaps, this review argues for a paradigm shift toward integrated, personalized interventions that combine targeted exercise with nutritional and microbial strategies to more effectively combat muscle wasting disorders.

Indexed as

cachexiagut microbiotagut-muscle axisphysical activitysarcopeniashort-chain fatty acidsskeletal muscle wasting

Identifiers

PMID41244680
PMCPMC12614467

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.