Diet, Metabolic Health, and Exercise Responses

Dietary Fat Quality, Metabolic Health, Cognitive Function, and Responses to Standardized Moderate-Intensity Exercise in Young Adults

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.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Cognitive Function; Diet Quality; Metabolic Health; Exercise Response
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Standardized Moderate-Intensity Cycling Session

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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 100

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD; Phone Number: 715-425-4945; Email: gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Ricky Lopez, MS; Phone Number: 715-425-4138; Email: ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu

Study Locations

• United States
  • Wisconsin
    • River Falls, Wisconsin, United States, 54022
      • Recruiting
      • University of Wisconsin-River Falls
      • Contact: Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD; Phone Number: 715-425-4945; Email: gregory.ruegsegger@uwrf.edu
      • Contact: Ricky Lopez, MS; Phone Number: 715-425-4138; Email: ricky.lopez@uwrf.edu
      • Principal Investigator: Gregory N Ruegsegger, PhD

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study population consists of generally healthy young adults recruited from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls and the surrounding community. Participants will be at least 18 years of age and able to safely complete laboratory-based exercise testing and study procedures. The study is designed to include individuals with a broad range of habitual dietary fat intake, metabolic health characteristics, physical activity levels, and aerobic fitness to examine associations between these naturally occurring differences and cognitive function, academic engagement, and affective, motivational, and physiological responses to a standardized bout of moderate-intensity exercise.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older.
• Able to provide written informed consent.
• Able and willing to complete two laboratory visits, dietary recording, cognitive assessments, and exercise testing.
• Able to safely complete submaximal exercise testing and a 30-minute moderate-intensity cycling session, as determined by health-history screening and the Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire Plus (PAR-Q+).
• Willing to complete dietary records and follow pre-visit instructions.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Known cardiovascular, pulmonary, metabolic, neurological, psychiatric, or other medical condition that could make exercise testing or moderate-intensity exercise unsafe or substantially affect study outcomes.
• Current pregnancy.
• Current smoking.
• Medication use that could substantially affect metabolic, cardiovascular, cognitive, or exercise-response outcomes, as determined by the investigators.

Orthopedic injury, mobility limitation, or other physical condition that prevents safe cycling or exercise testing.

• Resting heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute.
• Resting blood pressure greater than 160/100 mmHg.
• Electrocardiogram abnormality requiring further medical evaluation.
• Positive PAR-Q+ response or other health-screening finding indicating that medical clearance is required and has not been obtained.
• Inability or unwillingness to complete study procedures, fasting requirements, dietary records, or pre-visit restrictions.
• Any other condition that, in the judgment of the research team, would make participation unsafe or interfere with valid completion of the study procedures.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Intervention / Treatment

Healthy Adults; Participants aged 18 years and older who meet eligibility criteria will complete assessments of habitual dietary intake, metabolic health, body composition, aerobic fitness, cognitive function, academic engagement, and responses to a standardized moderate-intensity cycling session. All participants will follow the same study procedures. Dietary fat quality and metabolic health will be treated as naturally occurring exposures rather than assigned interventions.

Behavioral: Standardized Moderate-Intensity Cycling Session; Participants will complete a standardized 30-minute moderate-intensity cycling session on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. Exercise intensity will be prescribed at approximately 50-60% heart rate reserve (Borg Rating of Perceived Exertion 11-13). Heart rate, perceived exertion, affective responses, exercise enjoyment, subjective energy, and motivation will be assessed before, during, immediately after, and following exercise. The cycling session is conducted as a standardized assessment procedure for all participants and is not assigned as an experimental intervention.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Affective Valence During and After Exercise	Affective valence will be assessed using the single-item Feeling Scale. Scores range from -5 ("very bad") to +5 ("very good"), with 0 representing "neutral." Higher scores indicate more positive affective valence and therefore a better affective response.	Immediately before exercise; at minutes 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 during the 30-minute cycling session; immediately after exercise; and 30 minutes after exercise
Perceived Arousal During and After Exercise	Perceived arousal will be assessed using the single-item Felt Arousal Scale. Scores range from 1 ("low arousal") to 6 ("high arousal"). Higher scores indicate greater perceived arousal and are not inherently a better or worse outcome.	Immediately before exercise; at minutes 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 during the 30-minute cycling session; immediately after exercise; and 30 minutes after exercise
Positive Affect Before and After Exercise	Positive affect will be assessed using the five-item positive-affect subscale of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form. The five items are summed to produce a score ranging from 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater positive affect and therefore a better affective response.	Immediately before exercise, immediately after the 30-minute cycling session, and 30 minutes after exercise
Negative Affect Before and After Exercise	Negative affect will be assessed using the five-item negative-affect subscale of the International Positive and Negative Affect Schedule-Short Form. The five items are summed to produce a score ranging from 5 to 25. Higher scores indicate greater negative affect and therefore a worse affective response.	Immediately before exercise, immediately after the 30-minute cycling session, and 30 minutes after exercise

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Exercise Enjoyment	Exercise enjoyment will be assessed using the 8-item Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale-Short Form (PACES-SF). After reverse-scoring negatively worded items, responses are summed to produce a total score ranging from 8 to 56. Higher scores indicate greater exercise enjoyment and therefore a better outcome.	Immediately after the 30-minute cycling session and 30 minutes after the cycling session
Desire to Move	Momentary desire to move will be assessed using the Move subscale of the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure (CRAVE) scale. Item responses are averaged to produce a score ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate a greater momentary desire to move but are not inherently a better or worse health outcome.	Immediately before the 30-minute cycling session, immediately after the cycling session, and 30 minutes after the cycling session
Desire to Rest	Momentary desire to rest will be assessed using the Rest subscale of the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure (CRAVE) scale. Item responses are averaged to produce a score ranging from 0 to 10. Higher scores indicate a greater momentary desire to rest but are not inherently a better or worse health outcome.	Immediately before the 30-minute cycling session, immediately after the cycling session, and 30 minutes after the cycling session
Everyday Cognitive Failures	Everyday cognitive functioning will be assessed using the 25-item Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Items are summed to produce a total score ranging from 0 to 100. Higher scores indicate a greater frequency of everyday cognitive failures and therefore a worse outcome.	At baseline, before the exercise-testing procedures
Estimated Maximal Oxygen Consumption	Aerobic fitness will be estimated during a submaximal graded cycle-ergometer exercise test with respiratory gas analysis. Estimated maximal oxygen consumption will be reported in milliliters of oxygen per kilogram of body mass per minute. Higher values indicate greater aerobic fitness and therefore a better outcome.	At baseline, during the submaximal graded cycle-ergometer test
Body Composition	Body composition will be assessed using air-displacement plethysmography (BodPod) and reported as the percentage of total body mass consisting of fat. Higher values indicate a greater proportion of body mass consisting of fat.	At baseline, before the exercise-testing procedures

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Academic Engagement	Academic engagement will be assessed using the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students (UWES-S-9). The instrument assesses vigor, dedication, and absorption in academic activities. Items are scored from 0 ("never") to 6 ("always/every day"), and the mean of the nine items is calculated to produce an overall score ranging from 0 to 6. Higher scores indicate greater academic engagement and therefore a better outcome.	At baseline, before the exercise-testing procedure
Mean Reaction Time	Reaction time will be assessed using the computerized Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Mean reaction time for valid responses will be reported in milliseconds. Higher values indicate slower reaction time and therefore worse cognitive performance.	At baseline, before the exercise-testing procedures
Attention Lapses	Sustained attention will be assessed using the computerized Psychomotor Vigilance Task. Attention lapses will be defined as responses with a reaction time of 500 milliseconds or longer and reported as the number of lapses during the task. A higher number of lapses indicates worse sustained-attention performance.	At baseline, before the exercise-testing procedures
Saturated Fat Intake	Habitual saturated fat intake will be estimated from a 5-day dietary record completed using Cronometer. Intake will be averaged across recorded days and reported in grams per day. Higher values indicate greater saturated fat intake.	Over 5 days before the standardized cycling session
Monounsaturated Fat Intake	Habitual monounsaturated fat intake will be estimated from a 5-day dietary record completed using Cronometer. Intake will be averaged across recorded days and reported in grams per day. Higher values indicate greater monounsaturated fat intake.	Over 5 days before the standardized cycling session
Polyunsaturated Fat Intake	Habitual polyunsaturated fat intake will be estimated from a 5-day dietary record completed using Cronometer. Intake will be averaged across recorded days and reported in grams per day. Higher values indicate greater polyunsaturated fat intake.	Over 5 days before the standardized cycling session
Salivary Cortisol Concentration	Salivary cortisol concentration will be measured from a saliva sample and reported in nmol/L. Higher values indicate higher salivary cortisol concentrations but are not inherently a better or worse outcome.	At baseline following 15 minutes rest, immediately before the 30-minute cycling session, immediately after the cycling session, and 30 minutes after the cycling session.
Fasting Glucose Concentration	Fasting blood glucose concentration will be measured following an overnight fast and reported in milligrams per deciliter. Higher values indicate higher fasting glucose concentrations and generally worse glycemic status.	At baseline, following an overnight fast and before the oral glucose tolerance test.
Total Cholesterol Concentration	Fasting total cholesterol concentration will be measured and reported in milligrams per deciliter. Higher values indicate higher total cholesterol concentrations.	At baseline, following an overnight fast
High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Concentration	Fasting high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be measured and reported in milligrams per deciliter. Higher values generally indicate a more favorable lipid profile.	At baseline, following an overnight fast
Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Concentration	Fasting low-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration will be measured and reported in milligrams per deciliter. Higher values generally indicate a less favorable lipid profile.	At baseline, following an overnight fast
Triglyceride Concentration	Fasting triglyceride concentration will be measured and reported in milligrams per deciliter. Higher values generally indicate a less favorable lipid profile.	At baseline, following an overnight fast
Glucose tolerance	Glucose area under the curve will be calculated from glucose concentrations measured during the oral glucose tolerance test using the trapezoidal method and reported in milligrams per deciliter multiplied by minutes. Higher values indicate a greater glucose excursion and generally worse glucose tolerance.	At baseline, following an overnight fast

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Wisconsin, River Falls
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Gregory Ruegsegger, PhD, University of Wisconsin, River Falls

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Ekkekakis P, Parfitt G, Petruzzello SJ. The pleasure and displeasure people feel when they exercise at different intensities: decennial update and progress towards a tripartite rationale for exercise intensity prescription. Sports Med. 2011 Aug 1;41(8):641-71. doi: 10.2165/11590680-000000000-00000.
• Hartman ME, Hernandez J. The Assessment of Affective Responses within Exercise Prescription: A Narrative Review. Int J Sports Med. 2023 Jul;44(8):558-567. doi: 10.1055/a-2029-8337. Epub 2023 Feb 7.
• Ekkekakis P, Hall EE, Petruzzello SJ. Practical markers of the transition from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism during exercise: rationale and a case for affect-based exercise prescription. Prev Med. 2004 Feb;38(2):149-59. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.09.038.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): August 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 16, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 27, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 21, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Cognitive function; Metabolic health; Exercise motivation; Exercise enjoyment; Dietary fat quality; Exercise affect
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2026-72

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: De-identified individual participant data underlying the results reported in publications arising from this study will be available for sharing. Shared data may include demographic characteristics, dietary intake variables, anthropometric and body composition measures, metabolic health measures (e.g., glucose, blood lipids, oral glucose tolerance, salivary cortisol), aerobic fitness, cognitive performance, academic engagement, and affective, motivational, and physiological responses to exercise. Data will be de-identified before sharing to protect participant confidentiality.
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: De-identified individual participant data and supporting information will be available beginning six months after publication of the primary study results and will remain available for five years thereafter.
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Qualified researchers may request access to de-identified individual participant data, the study protocol, statistical analysis plan, and analytic code by contacting the Principal Investigator. Requests must include a brief research proposal and analysis plan and will be evaluated based on scientific merit, investigator qualifications, and consistency with participant consent and institutional policies. Approved researchers will receive access to the requested materials after execution of a data use agreement, when applicable.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL; SAP; ANALYTIC_CODE

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No