REVIEW article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutrition, Psychology and Brain Health
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1624047
This article is part of the Research TopicBrain Health Across the Lifespan: Nutritional Interventions and Physical Exercise for Healthy AgingView all articles
Polyphenol and exercise-induced molecular crosstalk: A new frontier in brain function, head and neck cancer therapy, and healthy lifespan extension
Provisionally accepted
XiuLei Mao*
She Yang- Department of Physical Education and Health, Lyuliang University, Shanxi Provincechin, Lyuliang, China
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Emerging evidence highlights the synergistic potential of polyphenols and exercise in modulating molecular pathways critical for brain function, tumor suppression, and healthy aging. Both interventions independently influence oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, autophagy, metabolic regulation, and neuroplasticity-key processes implicated in head and neck cancers (HNCs) development, neurodegeneration, and lifespan determination. Recent studies reveal that polyphenols, through their antioxidant and epigenetic-modifying properties, enhance neuronal resilience, suppress tumorigenesis, and improve metabolic homeostasis. Simultaneously, exercise activates signaling cascades, promoting neurogenesis, immune modulation, and anti-cancer effects. The molecular crosstalk between polyphenol intake and physical activity appears to amplify protective mechanisms, offering novel therapeutic strategies for brain health preservation, HNCs management, and metabolic optimization. This review critically examines the interconnected pathways influenced by polyphenols and exercise, their combined impact on brain function and tumor suppression, and discusses the translational potential for extending healthy lifespan through integrated lifestyle interventions.
Keywords: head cancer, Laryngeal cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, dysphagia, Diabetes Mellitus
Received: 06 May 2025; Accepted: 11 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Mao and Yang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: XiuLei Mao, Department of Physical Education and Health, Lyuliang University, Shanxi Provincechin, Lyuliang, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.