Running fights junk food’s mental toll—healing the gut, balancing hormones, and protecting the brain.
Scientists led by Professor Yvonne Nolan at University College Cork and APC Microbiome Ireland, a world leading Research Ireland Centre, have identified key metabolic pathways that explain how exercise helps counter the harmful behavioral effects of a Western-style cafeteria diet.
The study shows that voluntary running can reduce depression-like behaviors caused by diets high in fat and sugar. These effects appear to involve changes in both circulating hormones and metabolites produced in the gut. The findings offer important clues about how lifestyle strategies could be better designed to support mental health in a time when ultra-processed foods are widely consumed.
Study Design and Experimental Approach
To explore these effects, the researchers studied adult male rats fed either standard chow or a rotating cafeteria diet made up of high-fat and high-sugar foods for seven and a half weeks. Half of the animals in each diet group had access to running wheels. This approach allowed the team to separate the individual and combined influences of diet quality and physical activity on brain function and behavior.
How Exercise Influences Mood
The results showed that voluntary wheel running produced an antidepressant-like effect even when diet quality was poor. This suggests that physical activity may still provide mental health benefits for individuals who regularly consume Western-style diets.
