High-Intensity Workouts May Lead to Lower Calorie Intake

Tough workouts may do more than burn calories. According to a new study, it looks like high-intensity exercise may curb the appetite, as well.

Led by research Aaron Sim and his colleagues at the University of Australia, the study followed 17 overweight men who volunteered to participate in 30-minute sessions that ranged from rest to high-intensity cycling.

Those who worked out at a low or moderate intensity were shown to eat about 300 fewer calories than those who only rested in the hours following the session, while those who exercised at a high intensity for 30 minutes ate about 600 fewer calories than those who rested.

Previous studies have suggested that exercise causes the release of hormones that regulate appetite. This new study could indicate that those feel-good endorphins released after exercise-often called a runner’s high- could diminish appetite as well. The results may also suggest that after harder exercise, participants were more mindful of the benefits such as calories burned- and less inclined to negate that with extra food.

“This study provides some promising preliminary support for this notion, but further research is needed to investigate this in a longer-term study,” Sim told Reuters news service in an interview.

The study appeared in the International Journal of Obesity.

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