Latest research says that exercising after eating food can help to promote weight loss by boosting hormones that suppress appetite.
Denise Robertson along with other researchers at Surrey University and Imperial College London did the study on twelve volunteers. They were given the same breakfast by the scientists.
An hour later, half of the volunteers worked out for an hour on an exercise bike, while the other half sat quietly.
Both groups were left for another hour and then allowed to eat as much as they liked. People who exercised burned more calories than those who sat quietly.
According to research that was published in the Journal of Endocrinology, when the amount of energy burned during exercise was taken into account, the people who exercised took in fewer calories on the whole. Moreover, levels of hormones which tell the brain when the stomach is full increased during and immediately after exercise.
“In the past we have been concerned that, although exercise burns energy, people subsequently ate more after working out. This would cancel out any possible weight reduction effects of exercise,” Denise Richardson said.
“But our research shows that exercise may alter people’s appetite to help them lose weight and prevent further weight gain as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle”, she added.