Expert consensus statement for basic research of animal exercise intervention studies in chronic disease prevention and treatment: A joint position paper of the Exercise Science branch of the Biophysical Society of China and the Metabolism and Genetics branch of the Genetics Society of China

Chronic diseases, broadly defined as long-duration conditions that require sustained medical care and/or limit activities of daily living, are a major problem that threatens human health and imposes large social and economic burdens. Physical activity has many beneficial effects for human health and is among the most cost-effective ways to prevent and treat chronic diseases. Animal exercise intervention studies are widely used and provide valuable scientific evidence about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of exercise training in a variety of chronic disease models. This consensus statement will provide expert opinions and recommendations for the appropriate design and application of animal exercise intervention studies and models in fundamental investigations of prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, especially focusing on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases (coronary artery disease and stroke), metabolic diseases (obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus), chronic respiratory diseases (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and neurological diseases (Alzheimer's disease). This statement highlights various exercise models (as determined by frequency, intensity, time, and type of exercise intervention) utilized for each disease. Additionally, it includes a list of functional, structural, biochemical, and disease-specific evaluation metrics of exercise effects, followed by outlined recommendations for the exercise study design and evaluations for the mentioned chronic diseases. This consensus aimed to offer practical recommendations for better design and conduct of fundamental research in animal exercise intervention studies to improve our understanding of the effects of exercise on chronic diseases, and to further develop physical exercise or exercise-mimetic interventions for disease prevention and treatment.