Nutrition, physical activity, mental health, and reproductive function in adolescent and young adult women: Neuroimmunometabolic perspectives

Adolescence and young adulthood represent critical periods for the maturation of the Hypothalamic–Pituitary–Ovarian (HPO) axis and the establishment of long-term reproductive and metabolic health. Increasing evidence indicates that reproductive function in young women is influenced not only by hormonal regulation, but also by lifestyle-related determinants including diet quality, physical activity, energy availability, psychosocial stress, sleep, and mental health.

This keynote presentation will provide an integrative overview of the interactions between nutrition, exercise, mental health, and reproductive function, with particular emphasis on neuroimmunometabolic and stress-related mechanisms underlying disorders such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), Functional Hypothalamic Amenorrhea (FHA), and stress-related menstrual disturbances.The presentation will discuss the role of low energy availability, inflammatory dietary patterns, oxidative stress, and chronic low-grade inflammation in disrupting reproductive and metabolic homeostasis during adolescence.

The presentation will also highlight the clinical relevance of lifestyle medicine approaches integrating anti-inflammatory nutrition, adequate physical activity, and psychological wellbeing in adolescent and young adult women. Understanding the “brain–metabolism–reproduction axis” may contribute to the development of personalized and preventive strategies in adolescent gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, lifestyle medicine, and mental health care.

Małgorzata Mizgier is an Associate Professor at the Department of Sports Dietetics, Chair of Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Poznań University of Physical Education. She earned her Ph.D. at the Department of Hygiene and Human Nutrition, Division of Dietetics, at Poznań University of Life Sciences, and completed her habilitation at Poznań University of Medical Sciences in the field of health and medical sciences. Her current research focuses on the impact of diet and physical activity on clinical, hormonal, and immunometabolic parameters in women with polycystic ovary syndrome, menstrual disorders, infertility, and during pregnancy.