A vigorous 1-hour workout on a treadmill reduces the feeling of hunger, because it affects the secretion of hormones that regulate the appetite – British scientists observed. As they wrote in their work in the magazine “American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology”, endurance exercises, such as weightlifting, they are less effective in suppressing appetite. David J. Stensel from British Loughborough University estimates, that this type of research can help you make better use of exercise for weight management. Currently, many hormones that regulate our appetite are known, but British researchers focused their research on two of them – ghrelin and the YY peptide. Ghrelin secreted by stomach cells is the only known hormone that stimulates the appetite, while the YY peptide is produced in the intestines – it inhibits our feeling of hunger. Participants took part in the experiment, which was divided into three 8-hour sessions 11 male students. During one of them, the subjects ran through 60 minutes on a treadmill, and then by 7 hours they rested. During the second session, the students by 90 minutes they lifted weights, after which they rested by 6,5 hours. No exercises were performed in the third session. Patients were asked to complete questionnaires and rate them, how hungry they felt at different stages of the study.
Simultaneously, scientists measured them the level of the active form of ghrelin and the YY peptide in their blood. During each session, students were given two meals. Turned out, that intense exercise on the treadmill led to a decrease in the level of ghrelin that stimulates the appetite and to an increase in the level of the YY peptide, which is holding him back.
In turn, ghrelin levels dropped during endurance exercise, but the level of the second hormone was not significantly changed. The analysis of the questionnaires confirmed these results – students admitted, that both exercises suppressed their appetite, but treadmill exercises did it more effectively.
The changes caused by both types of exercise, however, were temporary and lasted for approx. 2 Hours, including exercise time. Exercises on the treadmill are included in the so-called. aerobic exercise, i.e. such, which increase the flow of oxygen to muscles and other tissues. In contrast, endurance exercise is referred to as anaerobic, tj. such, which consist in making a short vigorous effort, which increases muscle strength, but it does not improve heart and lung function.
