Exploring the feasibility and efficacy of an aerobic exercise intervention in improving dietary self regulation in adolescents and young adults. MRC GW4 BioMed DTP PhD studentship 2025/26

About the GW4 BioMed2 Doctoral Training Partnership

The partnership brings together the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff (lead) and Exeter to develop the next generation of biomedical researchers. Students will have access to the combined research strengths, training expertise and resources of the four research-intensive universities, with opportunities to participate in interdisciplinary and 'team science'. The DTP already has over 90 studentships over 6 cohorts in its first phase, along with 58 students over 3 cohorts in its second phase.

Project Information

Research Theme:

Population Health Sciences

Summary

Adolescents are the largest consumers of ultra-processed calorie-dense foods of any other age group. This is of concern, as diet quality can impact the development of the brain systems and associated cognitive control processes necessary to regulate calorie-dense food consumption, creating a vicious cycle between dietary behaviours and cognitive functioning. In this project, you will test the feasibility and efficacy of an aerobic exercise intervention to improve dietary self-regulation in adolescents and young adults. You will integrate cognitive tests and neuroimaging to examine underlying mechanisms.

Project description

Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of chronic illness and preventable death worldwide. Consuming a diet rich in ultra-processed, calorie-dense foods is associated with an increased risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health conditions (e.g.,depression and anxiety). Increasing evidence has suggested an association between executive functions (EF) and the integrity of the underlying neural systems, specifically the prefrontal cortex, and overconsumption behaviours. Individuals with lower EFs are more prone to overconsumption behaviours. Over time, the overconsumption of calorie-dense foods can negatively impact the function and structure of the prefrontal cortex, leading to a decline in EFs and increased reward sensitivity. This further perpetuates overconsumption behaviours, creating a vicious cycle between diet quality and brain health. Interventions aimed at enhancing EFs may potentially break this cycle. This may be especially pertinent for individuals with poorer EFs who would gain the most from EF-enhancing interventions.

Exercise interventions are one of the most promising means of improving EFs. Across the lifespan, exercise interventions have been shown to improve EFs and memory via exercise-induced changes in the structure and function of the PFC and hippocampus. Moreover, aerobic exercise can decrease neural responsivity to calorie-dense food cues, modulate hunger circuits, and increase dietary self-regulation, with the latter being mediated by exercise-induced improvements in EFs. During adolescence, the brain undergoes substantial neurodevelopment and is uniquely malleable and susceptible to environmental influences and experiences, including exercise, suggesting that exercise interventions during adolescence could be impactful. However, there is a lack of

research examining the potential of exercise to improve dietary behaviours in adolescent populations.

The proposed project will take an interdisciplinary approach to assess the feasibility and efficacy of aerobic exercise interventions to improve dietary behaviours during adolescence and young adulthood (ages 13-

25). Potential moderating mechanisms (e.g., exercise-induced changes in EFs, food reward, post-exercise compensatory beliefs, or food-related memory) will be assessed

Key research objectives/questions:

1. Can aerobic exercise improve dietary self-regulation in adolescents and young adults?

2. What potential mechanisms drive this effect (e.g., improved EFs, reduced reward sensitivity)?

3. Is the magnitude of the effect larger for “at-risk populations” (e.g., individuals with obesity or ADHD)?

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