Summary Although exercise modulates the regulation of appetite and food intake, how exercise affects food decision making is not well understood. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the impact of a bout of acute exercise on hypothetical choices related to the amount and timing of food intake. Forty-one healthy participants (22.0 ± 2.6 years; 23.7 ± 2.5 kg/m2, 56% female) completed 45 min of aerobic exercise and a rest control condition in random order. Food quantity preferences and intertemporal food preferences (preference for immediate versus delayed consumption) were assessed using electronic questionnaires with visual food cues. Compared to rest, exercise resulted in a greater increase in the amount of food selected both immediately after exercise (+25.8 ± 11.0 vs +7.8 ± 11.0 kcal/item, p = 0 .02) as 30 min post-exercise (+47.3 ± 12.4 vs. +21.3 ± 12.4 kcal/item, p = 0.005). Exercise resulted in a greater increase in preference for immediate consumption immediately after exercise (+0.23 ± 0.10 vs. +0.06 ± 0.10; p = 0.03) and 30 min after exercise (+0.30 ± 0.12 vs +0.08 ± 0.12; p = 0.01). Our findings demonstrate that a single end of aerobic exercise shifts hypothetical food choices toward larger quantities and more immediate consumption, highlighting the importance of timing of food choices in the context of exercise. |
Worldwide, 39 percent of adults were overweight in 2016, according to statistics from the World Health Organization. In the US, the prevalence of obesity was 42.4 percent in 2017/2018, according to a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
At the same time, millions of people want to lose weight. Physical exercise is an important option to achieve this. After all, more calories are consumed through sport than sitting, standing or lying down.
But what influence does sport have on (direct) eating habits? Scientists from the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the University of Nebraska (USA) have investigated this question for the first time.
Randomized study
"In the sports context, we have the phenomenon of people overeating after physical activity," said Prof. Köhler, professor of exercise, nutrition and health at the Technical University of Munich. "People want to reward themselves and their bodies for being active. So we used a hypothetical experiment to find out why people eat more after exercise compared to when they don’t exercise."
The aim of a randomized crossover study was to investigate the influence of exercise on hypothetical decisions regarding the amount and timing of food intake. For this purpose, 41 healthy participants (23 women, 18 men) between 19 and 29 years old with an average BMI of 23.7 were randomly assigned to a 45-minute exercise session or a rest period of equal duration in the first session. visit and completed the other study condition on the second visit.
Subjective assessment of hunger and satiety.
In each case, the training group answered an electronic questionnaire before physical activity about their subjective assessment of hunger and satiety, preferred amount of food to eat, and choice between foods that differed in timing of consumption. Subjects indicated their food quantity preferences by listing the desired portion size of each food. Preferences were obtained for both immediate and subsequent consumption of the food after four hours.
After answering the first questionnaire, participants performed 45 minutes of aerobic exercise on a bicycle ergometer. Immediately afterward, they completed the electronic questionnaire a second time and then a third time after a 30-minute break. The procedure for the untrained group was identical; Instead of 45 minutes of physical activity, these participants had a break.
Compared to the rest break, exercise provided a greater increase in the amount of food chosen , both immediately after exercise and 30 minutes later. Physical activity also resulted in a greater increase in preference for immediate food consumption, both immediately after exercise and 30 minutes later.
Weight loss through exercise
"Based on this study, we were able to show for the first time that certain characteristics, such as the amount and ’urge’ with which a person wants to eat, change over the course of physical exertion," said Prof. Köhler, classifying the results. . "These findings help us develop new interventions to optimize weight loss through exercise."
"Actual results suggest that physical exertion can prompt sports participants to eat large amounts of food more quickly after the training session," says Prof. Köhler.
"Since weight loss is a primary motivation to exercise for many, and failure to achieve desired weight loss makes it likely that they will stop exercising, it might be a good strategy to think about what you want to eat next. before you start exercising.
How effective these and other possible strategies work, how they may improve long-term compliance with training programs and contribute to favorable health outcomes through weight loss, and whether the effect may eventually wear off, is the subject of the study. Current research by scientists.
