Changes in Mood and Tryptophan Metabolism Following a 12-Week Endurance Exercise Combined with Time-Restricted Eating in Healthy Adults.
9 affiliations
- 1Department of Bioenergetics and Physiology of Exercise, Medical University of Gdansk, Dębinki 1, 80-211 Gdansk, Poland.
- 2Division of Sport Psychology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Psychology, University of Gdansk, Bazynskiego 4, 80-309 Gdansk, Poland.
- 3Department of Health and Natural Sciences, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Kazimierza Gorskiego 1, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland.
- 4Department of Athletics, Strength and Conditioning, Poznan University of Physical Education, Krolowej Jadwigi 27/3, 61-871 Poznan, Poland.
- 5Department of Sport, Gdansk University of Physical Education and Sport, Kazimierza Gorskiego 1, 80-336 Gdansk, Poland.
- 6Department of Pharmaceutical Pathophysiology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-210 Gdansk, Poland.
- 7Department of Environmental Engineering Technology, Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Gdansk University of Technology, Narutowicza Str. 11/12, 80-233 Gdansk, Poland.
- 8Department of Sport, Faculty of Physical Education, Kazimierz Wielki University, 85-064 Bydgoszcz, Poland.
- 9Faculty of Health, WSB Merito University, 80-266 Gdansk, Poland.
Abstract
Background: The interplay between time-restricted eating (TRE), endurance exercise, mood, and tryptophan (TRP) metabolism has not been thoroughly examined. This study evaluated whether changes in psychological well-being co-occurred with changes in serum kynurenine metabolites during a combined TRE and exercise intervention and performed exploratory analyses of kynurenine metabolism. Methods: Seventy-one healthy adults participated in a 12-week endurance training program combined with a 10 h TRE window. Assessments included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Mood Adjective Checklist, body composition, inflammatory markers, and serum kynurenine profiling, conducted at baseline and post-intervention. The pre-specified analysis was performed in the entire cohort, whereas subsequent analyses stratified by age and changes in anxiety were conducted post hoc and should be considered exploratory. Results: The pre-specified analysis of the entire cohort did not reveal statistically significant or clinically meaningful changes in psychological well-being, kynurenine metabolites, or inflammatory biomarkers. In exploratory post hoc analyses, participants were stratified into older (OE-TRE) and younger (YE-TRE) groups. Both groups showed significantly lower body mass and BMI at the second measurement. In the OE-TRE group, serum anthranilic acid (AA) levels increased (Δ = +7.85 nmol/L), while in the YE-TRE group, a decrease was observed (Δ = -2.62 nmol/L). In a separate exploratory post hoc analysis, participants with complete psychological assessment data were stratified according to the direction of change in anxiety scores. Among these participants, 66.7% showed lower anxiety scores in the second measurement, and this anxiety-defined subgroup also showed lower serum 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) concentrations. This observation was confined to the exploratory subgroup analysis and should not be interpreted as a general reduction in 3-HK in the study cohort. The OE-TRE group also showed an increase in the xanthurenic acid (XANA) + picolinic acid (PA) to 3-HK ratio and a reduction in TNF-α. Notably, differences between groups in the 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA)/3-HK and XANA + PA/3-HK ratios observed at baseline were no longer present at the second measurement. In the exploratory subgroup of participants whose 3-HAA concentrations increased over time, soluble gp130 (sgp130) concentrations were lower at the second measurement. Conclusions: The pre-specified whole-cohort analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant or clinically meaningful changes in the primary psychological and biochemical outcomes. Exploratory post hoc analyses suggest that changes in psychological well-being and peripheral kynurenine metabolism may co-occur during a combined TRE and endurance exercise intervention. The observed decrease in 3-HK was restricted to an anxiety-defined exploratory subgroup and was not observed in the study cohort as a whole. These findings are associative and hypothesis-generating and do not establish an intervention effect or causality. The trial was registered as a clinical trial (NCT05229835, date of first registration: 8 February 2022).
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BibTeX
@article{juhas2026changes,
title = {{Changes in Mood and Tryptophan Metabolism Following a 12-Week Endurance Exercise Combined with Time-Restricted Eating in Healthy Adults.}},
author = {Ulana Juhas and Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska and Andżelika Borkowska and Jakub Antoni Kortas and Joanna Reczkowicz and Ewa Ziemann and Katarzyna Prusik and Damian Flis and Grażyna Gałęzowska and Konrad Kowalski and Malgorzata Zychowska and Barbara Kaczorowska-Hać and Jędrzej Antosiewicz},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/nu18193116},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42884568},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Changes in Mood and Tryptophan Metabolism Following a 12-Week Endurance Exercise Combined with Time-Restricted Eating in Healthy Adults.
AU - Ulana Juhas
AU - Dagmara Budnik-Przybylska
AU - Andżelika Borkowska
AU - Jakub Antoni Kortas
AU - Joanna Reczkowicz
AU - Ewa Ziemann
AU - Katarzyna Prusik
AU - Damian Flis
AU - Grażyna Gałęzowska
AU - Konrad Kowalski
AU - Malgorzata Zychowska
AU - Barbara Kaczorowska-Hać
AU - Jędrzej Antosiewicz
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/22
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18193116
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42884568
AB - Background: The interplay between time-restricted eating (TRE), endurance exercise, mood, and tryptophan (TRP) metabolism has not been thoroughly examined. This study evaluated whether changes in psychological well-being co-occurred with changes in serum kynurenine metabolites during a combined TRE and exercise intervention and performed exploratory analyses of kynurenine metabolism. Methods: Seventy-one healthy adults participated in a 12-week endurance training program combined with a 10 h TRE window. Assessments included the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Mood Adjective Checklist, body composition, inflammatory markers, and serum kynurenine profiling, conducted at baseline and post-intervention. The pre-specified analysis was performed in the entire cohort, whereas subsequent analyses stratified by age and changes in anxiety were conducted post hoc and should be considered exploratory. Results: The pre-specified analysis of the entire cohort did not reveal statistically significant or clinically meaningful changes in psychological well-being, kynurenine metabolites, or inflammatory biomarkers. In exploratory post hoc analyses, participants were stratified into older (OE-TRE) and younger (YE-TRE) groups. Both groups showed significantly lower body mass and BMI at the second measurement. In the OE-TRE group, serum anthranilic acid (AA) levels increased (Δ = +7.85 nmol/L), while in the YE-TRE group, a decrease was observed (Δ = -2.62 nmol/L). In a separate exploratory post hoc analysis, participants with complete psychological assessment data were stratified according to the direction of change in anxiety scores. Among these participants, 66.7% showed lower anxiety scores in the second measurement, and this anxiety-defined subgroup also showed lower serum 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK) concentrations. This observation was confined to the exploratory subgroup analysis and should not be interpreted as a general reduction in 3-HK in the study cohort. The OE-TRE group also showed an increase in the xanthurenic acid (XANA) + picolinic acid (PA) to 3-HK ratio and a reduction in TNF-α. Notably, differences between groups in the 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA)/3-HK and XANA + PA/3-HK ratios observed at baseline were no longer present at the second measurement. In the exploratory subgroup of participants whose 3-HAA concentrations increased over time, soluble gp130 (sgp130) concentrations were lower at the second measurement. Conclusions: The pre-specified whole-cohort analysis did not demonstrate statistically significant or clinically meaningful changes in the primary psychological and biochemical outcomes. Exploratory post hoc analyses suggest that changes in psychological well-being and peripheral kynurenine metabolism may co-occur during a combined TRE and endurance exercise intervention. The observed decrease in 3-HK was restricted to an anxiety-defined exploratory subgroup and was not observed in the study cohort as a whole. These findings are associative and hypothesis-generating and do not establish an intervention effect or causality. The trial was registered as a clinical trial (NCT05229835, date of first registration: 8 February 2022).
SN - 2072-6643
ER -