While drug injections to suppress appetite are garnering headlines, recent research shows that with a little encouragement, your body can do it all by itself.
The research has revealed that moderate to intense exercise can significantly influence the level of appetite-related hormones in the body.
By incorporating a little serious exercise into your daily routine you can trigger those hormones, reducing your desire to overeat at the same time as gaining all the usual benefits of increasing your level of physical activity.
One of the study authors, Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild from Murdoch’s School of Allied Health in Western Australia, said the study confirms their previous work showing the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into daily routines for individuals looking to manage their weight and improve their overall health.
“People understand that exercise helps ‘burn energy’. A lot of people assume that exercise also increases hunger and energy intake afterwards,” Associate Professor Timothy Fairchild said.
“We have previously shown, using high-intensity exercise, that this is not the case.
“This latest study shows that even moderate-intensity exercise can have immediate and beneficial effects on appetite control in males with obesity.”
The study not only assessed food intake and appetite but also measured changes in hormones which help to regulate appetite.
“Despite a strong focus on weight loss drugs in society at present, this study shows that lifestyle factors still have a strong and relevant role in helping people to live their healthiest life,” Associate Professor Fairchild said.
“In fact, the hormones which have been shown to increase after exercise, are the same hormones which the most successful weight loss drugs are mimicking.”
“The added benefit of exercise is that you also receive the additional physical and mental health benefits of exercise”.
The study can be found here: https://physoc.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.14814/phy2.70167
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