Practicing physical activity helps control appetite, study finds

It's no secret that an active routine helps burn more calories. But the benefits of working out for those who want to lose weight can go beyond that. According to a study by Murdoch University in Australia, exercise can also lead to a reduction in appetite.

Published in December in the scientific journal The Physiological Society , the research is small: it involved 11 young men, aged between 20 and 24, sedentary and obese . They underwent a series of assessments to measure their cholesterol levels, body fat percentage and waist circumference. They also answered questionnaires about their eating habits and physical activity.

After the measurements, the volunteers were given a standard breakfast and waited an hour for it to digest. They then underwent a physical activity test using a cycle ergometer, a type of exercise bike. On this equipment, they warmed up for five minutes and then received a stimulus load that increased every two minutes until exhaustion. Meanwhile, the volunteers' oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production and heart rate were monitored.

The researchers found that, in response to muscle contraction, substances such as interleukin-6 and irisin, which control appetite , were released and acted more intensely for approximately 40 minutes after training.

Although the number of study participants is small and the work is focused on a group of people with a specific profile, experts interviewed by Agência Einstein emphasize that these results are relevant.

“The number of volunteers evaluated is really very small, but the study provides interesting information about the factors related to the influence of exercise on hunger and satiety and confirms other studies that have already demonstrated this relationship — which we can also prove in our clinical practice, especially when it comes to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise,” says endocrinologist Deborah Beranger, from Rio de Janeiro.

Endocrinologist Carlos André Minanni, medical coordinator of the check-up and postgraduate studies in endocrinology at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, highlights other findings of the research. “In fact, this study adds relevant data to the mechanisms by which physical activity modulates hunger, including hormonal changes, increased temperature and blood flow, and the reduction of neuropeptide Y (NPY), a known appetite stimulant in the nervous system,” he comments.

However, more studies are needed to understand how these results apply to the general population. “The effects vary depending on the type of exercise, duration, intensity, previous conditioning, genetics and diet of the person, among other factors,” notes Minanni.