Researchers led by Professor Yvonne Nolan at University College Cork and APC Microbiome Ireland a world leading Research Ireland Centre have identified specific metabolic pathways through which exercise counteracts the negative behavioral effects of consuming a Western-style cafeteria diet. Published today in the peer-reviewed journal Brain Medicine, this research demonstrates that voluntary running exercise can mitigate depression-like behaviors induced by high-fat, high-sugar diets associated with both circulating hormones and gut-derived metabolites. The findings provide crucial insights into how lifestyle interventions might be optimized to support mental health in an era of widespread ultra-processed food consumption.

The research team exposed adult male rats to either standard chow

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