According to new research, vigorous exercise could suppress appetite more than moderate intensity exercise. The small study published in The Journal of the Endocrine Society aimed to analyse the effects of exercise intensity on ghrelin levels and appetite. And for those of us who seem to always have our next meal on our mind, the results could be promising.
Firstly, ghrelin is a hormone which send signals to your brain that trigger hunger. It is often referred to as the ‘hunger hormone’. Researchers in the study set out to measure the ghrelin levels of the participants after different intensities of exercise. The study mentions that up until this point, data on the impact of exercise intensity on ghrelin levels and their effects on appetite have been sparse and primarily limited to males.
The researchers included 14 participants who first fasted overnight and then completed cycling bouts at varying intensities. They then had blood tests and self-reported their appetite levels.
According to lead author of the study, Kara Anderson, PhD, ‘We found that high intensity exercise suppressed ghrelin levels more than moderate intensity exercise. In addition, we found that individuals felt ‘less hungry’ after high intensity exercise compared to moderate intensity exercise’
In the study, moderate exercise actually led to increased hunger, especially in males, whereas high intensity did not show this effect, which may have helped to mitigate hunger signals.
The study indicates that exercise above a certain intensity, usually referred to as the ‘lactate threshold’, may be necessary to elicit a suppression in ghrelin. Lactate threshold is the point during high intensity, exhaustive exercise when lactate builds up in the bloodstream faster than the body can remove it. So the intensity of your training session would have to be pretty high to see the same results.
‘Exercise should be thought of as a ‘drug,’ where the ‘dose’ should be customised based on an individual’s personal goals,’ says Anderson, ‘Our research suggests that high-intensity exercise may be important for appetite suppression, which can be particularly useful as part of a weight loss program.’
The researchers noted that more studies are needed at this point, especially to determine the extent to which the effects of exercise differ by sex. However, the findings could be interesting for those who have goals of having more appetite control.
It’s important to bear in mind that the intensity of exercise necessary is particularly high, and female participants saw more of reduction in ghrelin compared to the male participants. But, should you be interested in tailoring your training to support appetite control, and you individually see benefits from vigorous exercise, then it could be a (somewhat) painless adjustment.
