Diet, Metabolic Health, and Exercise Responses

Summary

Regular physical activity, healthy dietary habits, and good metabolic health are associated with numerous physical and cognitive health benefits. However, individuals vary substantially in their affective, motivational, and cognitive responses to exercise, and the factors contributing to this variability are not fully understood. This prospective observational study will examine whether habitual dietary fat quality and metabolic health are associated with exercise responses, cognitive function, and academic-related outcomes in healthy young adults. Participants will complete assessments of dietary intake, body composition, metabolic health, aerobic fitness, cognitive function, and academic engagement. They will also complete a standardized moderate-intensity cycling session during which affective responses, exercise enjoyment, subjective energy, and motivation for future physical activity will be assessed. The findings will improve understanding of how habitual dietary habits and metabolic health may influence responses to exercise and cognitive functioning and may help inform future lifestyle recommendations aimed at promoting physical activity participation, cognitive performance, and overall health.

Detailed Description

Regular physical activity and healthy dietary patterns contribute to the prevention of chronic disease and support cognitive and psychological well-being. Nevertheless, individuals differ considerably in their responses to exercise, including perceived enjoyment, affective responses, motivation to continue exercising, and cognitive performance. These individual differences may influence long-term physical activity participation and adherence, yet the biological and lifestyle factors underlying this variability remain incompletely understood. Habitual dietary fat quality and metabolic health have been independently associated with cardiometabolic function, cognition, and psychological well-being. Greater saturated fat intake and poorer metabolic health have been linked to impaired cognitive performance, increased inflammation, and reduced insulin sensitivity, whereas diets higher in unsaturated fats have been associated with more favorable metabolic and cognitive outcomes. Whether these factors also influence acute psychological and cognitive responses to exercise has received comparatively little attention. The purpose of this prospective observational study is to examine associations among habitual dietary fat quality, metabolic health, cognitive function, and responses to a standardized bout of moderate-intensity exercise in healthy young adults. Habitual dietary intake will be assessed using multiple-day dietary records, and metabolic health will be characterized using anthropometric measurements, fasting glucose, blood lipids, oral glucose tolerance testing, body composition, aerobic fitness, and salivary cortisol. Cognitive function, mental fatigue, concentration, cognitive failures, and academic engagement will also be assessed. Participants will complete a standardized moderate-intensity cycling session during which affective responses, perceived exertion, subjective energy, exercise enjoyment, and motivation for future physical activity will be measured before, during, and after exercise. The exercise session serves as a standardized assessment designed to evaluate individual variability in physiological and psychological responses rather than as an intervention intended to improve health outcomes. The primary objective is to determine whether habitual dietary fat quality and metabolic health are associated with affective responses to exercise. Secondary objectives include examining associations with exercise enjoyment, motivation for future physical activity, cognitive performance, mental fatigue, concentration, academic engagement, and selected physiological measures. Findings from this study may improve understanding of modifiable lifestyle factors associated with exercise adherence, cognitive functioning, and overall health in young adults and inform future behavioral and lifestyle interventions.

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions