Table 1 Main outcomes of human studies on physical activity, epigenetics and diseases

Cancer disease

OS

45 healthy female

(43±7 yrs)

PA questionnaire

(for the past years, the past 5 years and over a lifetime)

Breast

No significant correlation between PA and APC or RASSF1A methylation

[62]

OS

1154 people with colon cancer

(30-79 yrs)

PA questionnaire

(for the current year, the past 10 and 20 years)

Colon

No significant correlation between PA and number of methylated markers

[69]

OS

106 people with gastric cancer

(59-66 yrs)

PA questionnaire (referent before cancer oneset)

Gastric

Significant correlation between PA and CACNA2D3 methylation.

[64]

OS

750 people with rectum tumor

(30-79 yrs)

PA questionnaire

(for the current year, the past 10 and 20 years)

Rectum

No significant between PA and CIMP

tumors

[63]

OS

131 healthy people

(45-75 yrs )

PA assessed over 4 days

Leukocytes

No significant correlation between PA and LINE-1 methylation

[65]

OS

4654 healthy people

(55-69 yrs)

PA self-reported (occupational history)

Colorectal

No significant association between PA and CIMP tumors

[66]

IS

12 female with breast cancer

(55-65 yrs)

6 months of 2.5hrs per week of moderate intensity treadmill exercise

Leukocyte and breast

Significant association between PA and DNA methylation in a tumor suppressor gene (L3MBTL1)

[67]

OS/IS

64 healthy male and female

(29±8 yrs)

PA self-reported over 7 days and 12 months

Buccal cells

Significant correlation between PA and DNA methylation of genes associated with carcinogenesis process

[68]

OS

647 healthy female

(35-73 yrs)

PA self-reported at different times in

life (childhood, teenage years and past 12 months)

Leukocytes

No significant correlation between PA and LINE-1 DNA methylation

[74]

IS

12 healthy men

(22.3 ± 1.0 yrs)

Acute aerobic exercise ( 10, 2-min bouts of cycle ergometer exercise at a constant sub-maximal workload interspersed with 1-min rest)

Leukocytes

PA alter the expression of 986 genes and 23 miRNAs associated with cancer and cell communication in NK cells

[44]

Metabolic

disease

IS

14 young male and female

(25±1 yrs)

2 sessions of acute exercise: low-intensity (40% V̇O_2max); high intensity (80% V̇O₂max)

Vastus lateralis

Significant hypometilation of PGC-1α, TFAM, PPARD, PDK4

[78]

IS

15 men T2D FH⁺, 13 men T2D FH^-

(37.5±5.2 yrs)

6 months aerobic exercise (3hrs per week: 1 session of 1h spinning; 2 sessions of 1h aerobic

Vastus lateralis

Significant correlation between PA and the methylation of markers associated with T2D (RUNX1, MEF2A, THADA, NDUFC2, ADIPOR1, ADIPOR2, BDKRB2)

[84]

IS

31 men, 15 T2D FH+ and 16 T2D FH-

(37.5±5.2 yrs)

6 months aerobic exercise (3hrs per week: 1 session of 1h spinning; 2 sessions of 1h aerobic

Adipose

Significant correlation between PA and the methylation of markers associated with obesity and T2D

[85]

IS

17 T2D patients (13 female, 5 male)

( 49±5 yrs)

16weeks endurance exercise on cycle ergometer for 1 h/session at 60% V̇o2 peak (3 time per week)

Vastus Lateralis

Significant hypomethylation of the promoter region for

NRF1, hypomethylation at a CpG shelf within the intronic region of the gene body of PFKFB3, and hypermethylation of the promoter region of FASN after exercise.

[59]

CDV disease

IS

12 healthy men

(21.1±2.7 yrs)

4 weeks of sprint interval training (3 per week, 249 min in total)

Leukocytes

Training induces specific leukocyte DNA methylation across MIR21 and MIR210

[60]

NDG disease

IS

17 SZ male and female

(18-50 yrs)

3 moths combined aerobic and strength training (1h 3 time per week. Aerobic: 20min walking at 60% max cardiorespiratory fitness; strength: 30min of 3 sets of 15 reps major muscle group)

PBMCs

Decrease of global histone H4 acetylation after 30, 60 and 90 days of the intervention.

[53]