A new study from Sweden suggests that a specific protein found in trained muscles might contribute to exercise's mental benefits. This protein, the researchers found, might help our bodies process molecules that, if out of balance, can stress us and contribute to depression(萎靡不振). The findings were published in the journal Cell.

　　To test this, the researchers kept attacking some mice with flashing lights, loud noises and interrupting their sleep for weeks. Predictably, this treatment makes the mice show signs and biochemical markers of depression.

　　But not all the mice showed those signs. One group, specially raised to have high levels of a protein called PGC­1alpha1 (the one in trained muscles), did not show those depression signs. PGC­1alpha1 increases production of an enzyme that breaks down a chemical called kynurenine. Kynurenine helps the body respond to an activated immune system(活性免疫系统), but it also plays a role in depression.

　　“Our original research assumption was that trained muscle would produce a substance(物质) with beneficial effects on the brain，” Jorge Ruas of the Karolinska Institute told Forbes.com. “We actually found the opposite: well­trained muscle produces an enzyme that removes harmful substances away from the body.”

　　This study was in mice, but it lines up nicely with all the other lines of evidence that exercise is good for mental health.

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