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Exercise after eating - diet tip

Exercising after eating a meal can help promote weight loss by boosting hormones that suppress appetite, say UK scientists.

Thanks to these hormones, active people feel less hungry immediately after exercise, and this carries through to their next meal, experiments suggest.

Even when their meals were bigger, sporty people gained fewer calories overall because they burned off more.

The University of Surrey and Imperial College London joint work is published in the Journal of Endocrinology.

Exercise may alter people's appetite to help them lose weight.
According to researcher Dr Denise Robertson:

Twelve volunteers were fed the same breakfast.

An hour later, half of them 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.

Exercise guidelines

Unsurprisingly, people who exercised burned more calories than those who sat quietly, 492 kcal compared to 197 kcal.

And when given the chance to eat afterwards, people who had exercised tended to eat more, 913 kcal versus to 762 kcal.

However, when the amount of energy burned during exercise was taken into account, the sporty people took in fewer calories overall - 421 kcal compared to 565 kcal for the inactive group.

And levels of hormones called PYY, GLP-1 and PP, which tell the brain when the stomach is full, increased during and immediately after exercise.

Volunteers also said they felt less hungry during this time.

Researcher Dr Denise Robertson said: "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.

"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."

Experts recommend people do at least 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week.

'Significant contribution'

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, said: "This is an interesting study. Patients often report that they feel increased hunger and eat more after exercise.

"What this study shows is that, although total calorific intake is greater, the net result, because of the exercise taken, is a reduction in the net energy balance.

"Dieting is never easy. Increased physical activity is an essential part of any weight management programme, not just to expend more calories but also, as we see here, to help control our appetite too."

Dr John McAvoy, a GP with a special interest in obesity, said the study was a "significant contribution to understanding the complex mechanisms of energy balance".

"It will be of much more interest to the pharmaceutical industry than the general public at this stage, for the simple reason that most people view exercising so soon after eating as akin to putting your fingers down your throat," he added.

"For exercise to contribute to weight control it should be sustainable over the long term and enjoyment remains a critical factor to this end."

Ref:
Effects of exercise on gut peptides, energy intake and appetite
Catia Martins, Linda M Morgan, Stephen R Bloom1 and M Denise Robertson
Journal of Endocrinology (2007) 193, 251-258 DOI: 10.1677/JOE-06-0030


Article originally posted on BBC News

How dieting can affect weight loss

Excess weight is often referred to by the term obesity. This is a condition where the body accumulates more fat than is being processed or burned by the normal metabolism. In many cases, this can be genetic but in most, there is obviously a diet problem that needs to be reconsidered. Obesity is measured in what is called body mass index or BMI according to the fitness and medical circles. BMI is arrived at by dividing weight by height and then squaring the result. A BMI of 25-29kg/m is considered overweight.

Obesity is dangerous. Medical research shows that the chances of a heart attack are exponentially increased the higher the BMI goes. People who are overweight also struggle with a myriad of other complications. For instance, obese people also have to deal with a low self-esteem, because the general mass media pushes the image of the slim model as the ideal. Clothes are also hard to find and one has to shop at special stores. More health problems include sleep irregularities and the risk of a stroke.

How does diet help? Researchers and nutritionists report that there is a correlation between weight loss and dieting. Education is key. Reading the labels when shopping is recommended. There are some foods which have a higher calorie content than others and knowing this will put one in the right track. By education, we also mean that you should familiarize yourself with the food pyramid. You can easily access this at the food pyramid website which is supported by the Food and Drug Administration.

Dieting does not always mean starving yourself. It can mean that you are taking precautions as to what you eat. That means cooking with oils such as olive oil which has healthy fats and does not encourage fat accumulation. Of course animal fats should be avoided if possible.

Causes of obesity

New information from weight loss researchers and nutritionists shows that over 300,000 people die each year from complications resulting from obesity. Obesity is a major problem in the United States and now many other parts of the world. This is where the body accumulates more fat than is being burned by normal metabolism and this causes fat deposits to begin to build up in the belly area, thighs, buttocks and even waist. The problem of obesity is so acute that some schools especially in Atlanta Georgia have began to offer strictly vegetarian diets to their students and the students have embraced this diet well. So what causes obesity?

There is one cause of weight gain that is rather unfortunate-genetics. Sometimes, it is easy to judge people from appearance and form an opinion that their excess weight is as a result of irresponsible eating habits. But doctors report that there are people with genetic maladjustment's that cause a problem with the way the body processes food. There are also problems that cause an under-performing thyroid gland that ultimately causes the body metabolism to slow and therefore and accumulation of fat. So one reason why some people are overweight is because of genetic issues.

Another reason why some people might have a weight problem is because they have an eating disorder. In the same token that there are eating disorders which cause bulimia, there are disorders that run in the opposite direction and cause compulsive eating and an abnormal appetite. A disorder called Pica even has its victims craving non-foods (earth, pens, pencils and anything close by). These disorders which cause excessive eating can be treated and the person can resume normal eating habits.

Another reason for obesity is off course leading a sedentary life of little or no activity. This is common in the West where people use cars to go even short distances.

Fructose-sweetened drinks again raise questions in obesity-related study

Hi everyone
Just a quick post.
Here is a link to a news article which I feel is quite important.

Fructose-sweetened drinks again raise questions in obesity-related study

Sandra Collins