Exercise Boosts Your Mood, And One Molecule Helps Explain Why :

One in five Canadians is living with mental health challenges such as anxiety and depression at any one time.

One in five Canadians live with mental health issues such as anxiety and depression at the same time.

This number has risen steadily in recent years, and although we've improved the way we talk about mental health, a lot of stigma still exists.In fact, people are three times less likely to report a mental illness than a physical illness.

There are many effective mental health treatments available.However, diagnosis and access to treatment can take years.

Sometimes prescription drugs used to treat mental health problems have side effects that may cause people to avoid or stop taking the drug.Traditional treatments can be expensive and not always covered by insurance or benefits.

In the meantime, there is another tool - regularly to improve heart health and metabolic health - that can be a very useful addition to mental health care and management.What tool can treat so many conditions?Learning!

Yes!Lifting weights improves your mood

However, many people experience euphoria after exercise

Does hitting the gym help with depression and anxiety?Science says - absolutely!

Exercise has been shown to significantly improve symptoms of anxiety and depression both in the short and long term.It can help with emotional regulation and especially emotional resilience under severe stress.

While reports of improved mood after exercise may seem subjective, the mental health benefits of exercise can actually be seen on a biochemical level.

You may have heard the term "runner's high," which comes from the feeling of joy or euphoria that many people experience after exercise.This is mainly caused by an increase in what we call endocannabinoids and endorphins, hormones and molecules that make you feel happy or happy.

"Good" and "bad" tryptophan metabolites.

However, tryptophan may be another important molecule to be thankful for.

Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that we absorb through our diet and plays many important roles in the human body.Tryptophan creates serotonin – often called the feel-good hormone – but can also be broken down to produce molecules that have different effects on the brain and body.

The main pathway responsible for breaking down tryptophan is called the kynurenine pathway.Some products of this method, such as kynurenic acid, can protect against inflammation, and have brain health.Others, such as quinolinic acid, can be associated with toxicity and inflammation.

In fact, many chronic diseases such as depression, Alzheimer's and cancer have been linked to high levels of "bad" kynurenine metabolites.

Given tryptophan's association with both mental health and neurodegenerative conditions, researchers have started to investigate how we can generate more of the good molecules, and less of the bad. By influencing which route is taken in the kynurenine pathway, we may be able to switch towards a healthier, neuroprotective state.

Exercise appears to be a powerful modulator of this switch.

Get immediate return on investment

Studies have shown that physical training can immediately and directly increase brain-protective molecules such as kynurenic acid, which are measured in the blood and muscles after exercise.These positive changes have been observed after endurance cycling, weight lifting and HIIT training.

Populations with additional metabolic conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, also saw beneficial changes in tryptophan metabolites after a single bout of exercise.

Even better, these improvements were reported across different age groups, suggesting benefits for both younger and older populations.

Until now, laboratory studies have mainly used traditional exercise protocols such as cycling and resistance training.However, being more physically active seems to improve your profile of these metabolites, meaning you don't necessarily need to exercise in the lab to see improvements.

Although exercise shows great promise as a source of mood improvement and brain protection, research in this area is still growing.More work is needed to understand the precise mechanisms at the molecular level that explain why exercise plays an important role in regulating these metabolites.

Don't sweat the small stuff;go!

In conclusion, exercise is a powerful tool for contributing to mental health.There is strong evidence to support the use of exercise for stress management and the production of feel-good hormones and metabolites, which can help in the management of heart problems.

Related: Exercise protects against Alzheimer's disease, and scientists may know why

Exercise can also cause changes in vision, social mobility, or just temporary distraction.These things are important for mental health.Group activities, such as running clubs and soccer leagues, can be done to increase enthusiasm.

So, while exercise may seem like the last thing you want to do, especially during the Canadian winter, the benefits are worth enduring the cold.

Megan McCue, Ph.D., is a postdoctoral fellow at McMaster University School of Health Sciences

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.Read the original article.