Modern lifestyles, such as a Western diet, excessive food consumption, and
physical inactivity, are closely associated with brain health and noncommunicable
diseases, including type 2 diabetes. Epidemiological evidence suggests that an
unhealthy lifestyle leads to impaired brain health, manifesting in conditions such as
depression and anxiety. Conversely, mental illness can contribute to the development
of type 2 diabetes. Thus, it has been suggested that there is a bidirectional relationship
between brain health and metabolic diseases, but the detailed mechanisms remain
unclear.
Exercise is considered the primary choice for the treatment of obesity or type 2
diabetes. This is attributed to the fact that increased physical activity contributes to a
reduction in body weight and the accumulation of excess adipose tissue. Furthermore,
it has long been recognized that exercise enhances brain health. Recent studies have
revealed that, in addition to these indirect effects, exercise exerts its beneficial effects
by releasing bioactive substances. This chapter presents how metabolic diseases affect
brain health and how exercise mitigates these detrimental effects, focusing particularly
on the molecular mechanisms in the brain.
Keywords: Anxiety, Brain, Cognitive function, Diabetes, Depression, Hippocampus, Obesity.
