Objective To investigate the effects of curcumin and / or aerobic exercise on intestinal function in dyslipidemic rats. Methods Forty specific-pathogen free male Sprague Dawley rats were divided randomly into the following groups: normal diet + quiet (CON group), high-fat diet + quiet (HDC group), high-fat diet + curcumin + quiet (HDM group), high-fat diet + aerobic exercise (HDE group), and high-fat diet + curcumin + aerobic exercise (HDME group). All the high-fat diet groups received a high-fat diet and the CON group received a maintenance diet. From the third week, the HDM and HDME groups were also given 200 g / ( kg·d) curcumin, and the other groups were given 0. 5% sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. The HDE and HDME groups underwent aerobic exercise intervention with 70% ~ 75% maximal oxygen uptake, while the other groups did not undergo any exercise intervention. Twenty-four hours after the 6 weeks intervention, blood was taken from the abdominal aorta, and cecal tissue and contents were collected. Blood lipid levels were detected using an automatic biochemical analyzer. Cecal morphology was observed by hematoxylin and eosin staining. Expression of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) protein in cecal tissue was detected by western blot. The distribution of the intestinal flora in the cecal contents was detected by 16S rDNA sequencing. Results Curcumin and / or aerobic exercise significantly decreased serum total cholesterol and triglyceride levels (P< 0.05), up-regulated ZO-1 expression in cecal tissue ( P< 0.05), attenuated the cecal histopathological changes, and improved the diversity and evenness of the intestinal flora in dyslipidemic rats (P< 0.05). Conclusions Curcumin and / or aerobic exercise can reduce blood lipid levels in dyslipidemic rats, regulate the cecal intestinal flora, protect the integrity of the intestinal mucosal barrier, and adjust intestinal function, with the combination of curcumin and aerobic exercise having the greatest effect.