The evidence is convergent. Multiple independent sources reach the same conclusion, the underlying mechanism is well-characterized, and even the field's most cautious voices treat it as worth doing.
The activation of the muscles through rhythmic repeated use, in particular, aerobic exercise, but also resistance training has been shown to do this to some extent, tends to sequester or shuttle the kynurenine into the muscle so that it isn't converted into this neurotoxin that is pro-depression.
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Why exercise reduces depression and neurotoxicity (kynurenine mechanism)
Exercise causes muscles to detoxify body of kynurinine & prevents it from entering brain where it causes depression.
Exercise increases an enzyme on skeletal muscle known as kynurenine aminotransferase
Exercise causes muscles to act like a sponge and take up kynurenine, preventing its conversion to a neurotoxic agent implicated in depression.
Exercise causes muscles to act like a sponge and take up kynurenine, preventing its conversion to a neurotoxic agent implicated in depression.
So the studies that I was wanting to talk about, or tell you about, you probably have seen them, but where exercise, this has been shown now, it first was shown in animal studies and then more recently in the past, I think it was 2017, it’s been shown in humans where it causes muscle cells take up kynurenine so they can’t form quinolinic acid, which then means you’re not getting that.
Because, you know, a very interesting, there’s a few interesting studies that have been cropping up over the last couple of years in terms of another mechanism by which exercise, and specifically, activating muscle cells, helps treat depression through this kynurenine pathway.
interestingly in humans exercise has been shown to cause canine to be taken up into muscle and prevent it from becoming this toxic metabolite
positive lifestyle factors such as exercise can have a beneficial effect on kynurenine metabolism for example exercise and specifically endurance exercise causes muscle tissue to increase the activity of a gene called canary knee and amino transferase which stops kynurenine from forming the neurotoxin quinna lytic acid and instead makes it form another compound called chimeric acid which is actually neuro protective