Gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids: mechanisms of aerobic exercise regulation in type 2 diabetes

• Aerobic exercise significantly improves glycolipid metabolism, reduces inflammation, and enhances insulin sensitivity in type 2 diabetic rats. • Exercise increases gut microbiota diversity and enriches short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria (e.g., Colidextribacter, Intestinimonas, Lactobacillus) while suppressing pathogenic Proteobacteria. • Exercise-induced changes in gut microbiota correlate with increased short-chain fatty acid levels (e.g., butyric acid, hexanoic acid) and improved metabolic markers. • Metabolic pathway prediction (KEGG/MetaCyc) reveals that exercise reshapes microbial metabolic pathways, upregulating SCFA synthesis and downregulating pro-inflammatory pathways, forming a closed-loop regulation with host metabolism.