The question of whether exercising increases or reduces your appetite is hotly debated. In fact, studies have been carried out on this subject with different results.
Actually, the relationship between exercise and appetite depends on many factors, such as the relative intensity, the duration of the sport and whether it is a new movement.
In addition, issues such as the mentality of each one and the diet that one follows are relevant. The level of physical condition, the percentage of body fat or the ability to recognize hunger signals are other relevant factors.
Does exercising cause more desire to eat?
Most research shows that exercise decreases the urge to eat. In this regard, a 2012 study from Brigham Young University found that 45 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise in the morning reduces a person’s motivation for food.
On the other hand, a 2017 Spanish study published in the Revista Clínica e Investigación en Arteriosclerosis found that exercise reduces the levels of the appetite-stimulating hormone (ghrelin) and increases those of the appetite suppressant (leptin). It also found that physical exercise alters the activity of certain brain regions after viewing certain foods.
However, other research suggests otherwise. This is the case of a 2005 study from the University of Florida, which shows that exercising in cold water, instead of warm water, could increase people’s appetite.
Additionally, 2008 research from the Endocrine Society asserts that the apparent hunger-suppressing effect of exercise does not apply to obese women in the same way that it does to lean women. Other variables, such as the temperature outside, the altitude of a city and where they are in the menstrual cycle are decisive.
In any case, most studies have found results in favor of exercise reducing appetite. However, these evidences are subject to the specific circumstances of each person.
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