Preventive effects against cognitive decline and obesity via the combination of dietary factors and exercise: can dietary factors replace or complement the beneficial effects of exercise?

Abstract

Regular exercise is known to have positive effects on a variety of health outcomes, including the prevention of obesity and cognitive decline. Several recent reports have suggested that combining exercise with dietary factors such as flavonoids can amplify health functions. While the addition of dietary factors synergistically or additively enhances the beneficial effects of exercise, the addition of exercise may also reduce the amount of dietary factors needed to obtain their beneficial effects. This review describes (1) the exercise-induced improvement of health functions focusing on cognitive function, (2) several studies that investigated the effects that combining flavonoids with exercise has on obesity and cognitive function, and (3) the synergistic effect of inducing beige adipocyte formation to potentially explain the mechanism of the preventive effects of combining dietary factors and exercise on obesity, including new findings on lactate obtained through these studies. Finally, we summarize the following challenges and issues in research on developing the combination of dietary factors and exercise: clarifying the appropriate types and intensities of exercise and appropriate intake of dietary factors for obtaining the optimal combined effect, accumulating results of human interventional studies, and examining the benefits of this combination in improving the memory and learning ability of young adults and children. As scientists studying functional foods, we should focus more on exercise-replacement and exercise-complementing dietary factors in our research. This journal will play an important role in elucidating the molecular mechanisms underlying the combined effects of dietary factors and exercise.