Exercise Intensity And Obesity Status Affects Post Exercise Appetite

Appetite is described as the biological driver behind the choice and consumption of food. Evidence suggests that acute exercise intensity and obesity status can affect appetite. PURPOSE: To examine the effect of exercise intensity and obesity status on post exercise appetite. METHODS: 31 subjects (18 normal weight, BMI 22.41 ± 1.62 : 9 males, 9 females; 12 obese, BMI 34.97 ± 2.46 : 6 males, 6 females) completed a maximal graded cardiopulmonary VO2peak/lactate threshold (LT) test on a cycle ergometer. These data were used to determine the exercise intensity for the 2 subsequent calorically matched cycle exercise bouts: a) MOD, the power output at LT; b) HIGH, the power output associated with 75% of the difference between LT and VO2peak.; and c) CON, no exercise. The timing of each visit was standardized and occurred at 0800 h. To measure appetite, participants completed a visual analog scale (VAS) at 6 different time points: baseline (pre-exercise), and 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 90 minutes, 120 minutes, and 150 minutes post exercise. A linear mixed model was used to examine differences between obesity status, exercise condition, and time. An ANOVA was then used to examine fixed effects. RESULTS: There was a main effect for time, where participants had higher appetite scores at 60, 90, 120, and 150 mins compared to baseline (0 min - 60 min: -6.225 ± 1.47, p = 0.0006; 0 min - 90 min: -8.519 ± 1.47, p < .0001; 0 min - 120 min: -9.54 ± 1.47, p < .0001; 0 min - 150 min: -10.002 ± 1.48, p < .0001). Normal weight individuals had lower appetite scores during HIGH compared to CON (CON - HIGH: 5.007 ± 1.32, p = 0.0023). There were no other differences or interactions between condition or obesity status. CONCLUSIONS: Appetite is affected by time independent of exercise intensity. Normal weight individuals appear to have blunted appetite in response to high intensity exercise that was not observed in obese individuals. UVA School of Education and Human Development and NIH NIDDK (R01 DK129510)