Voluntary exercise increases energy intake and alters both hypothalamic gene expression and the composition of the gut microbiota.. Voluntary exercise alters energy balance and the gut microbiota in C57BL/6 mice.

Voluntary exercise drives an increased energy intake in C57BL/6 mice. This increased energy intake is driven by changes to hypthalamic gene expression of genes controlling feeding behavior. Voluntary exercise also resulted in changes to the gut microbiota enriching particular species which play an important role in carbohydrate metabolism.