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Post-exercise energy load and activities may affect subsequent ad libitum energy intake

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, page 750 (2014)Cite this article

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Sim et al.1 recently proposed an interesting paper addressing the effect of intensive intermittent exercises on subsequent energy intake, appetite feelings and appetite-related hormones in sedentary overweight men. Although this paper adds some important results to the actual literature, we believe that some methodological issues have to be pointed and considered when interpreting their results.

The authors found that total ad libitum energy intake after high- (HI) and very high-intensity (VHI) intermittent exercises was lower compared with a moderate-intensity continuous exercise (CM) and a rest session. First, the exercises were realized in the fasting state and the authors chose to provide participants with a standardized liquid meal about 5 min after the exercises (or rest), which the participants had to consume within 2 min. Although we understand that a fixed energy load offered right after the exercises or rest was done in order to explore the appetite-related hormone responses, it may have affected the results obtained on the following ad libitum test meal. The participants may have experienced different digestive acceptances of this energy load between conditions due to the different exercise intensities or duration for instance, which may have created some stomach discomfort. It is also possible that the gastric impact of those exercise characteristics may have differently affected their gastric emptying, which has been suggested to explain post-exercise individual variability in terms of energy consumption and appetite feelings.2 Another methodological point that we would like to underline concerns the context and content of the meal. Sim et al.1 provided the participants with a single dish (porridge made from a standardized mixture of instant oats) and then no choice was possible while it has been shown that acute exercise, depending on its duration or intensity, may modify individuals’ food choices.3 Mainly, the repetition of this unique meal may have conducted to a reduction of its consumption during the last experimental sessions. In line with this comment, the fact the participants had only 20 min to consume their test meal may have interfered with the real impact of the exercises in terms of food intake. Finally, King et al.4 have underlined an inter-individual variability in terms of eating duration and episodes after exercise and showed that restricting participants to eat (limited time for instance) affects the results.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clermont University, Blaise Pascal University, Laboratory of the Metabolic Adaptations to Exercise under Physiological and Pathological Conditions (AME2P), Aubière, France

    D Thivel & P Duche

  2. INRA, UMR1019 Human Nutrition, CRNH Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    B Morio

  3. Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, UMR1019 Nutrition Humaine, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    B Morio

Authors
  1. D Thivel
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  2. P Duche
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  3. B Morio
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Correspondence to D Thivel.

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Thivel, D., Duche, P. & Morio, B. Post-exercise energy load and activities may affect subsequent ad libitum energy intake. Int J Obes 38, 750 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.166

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