The interaction between exercise, appetite and food intake : implications for weight control

Abstract

Exercise could indirectly affect body weight by exerting changes on various components of appetite control including nutrient and taste preferences, meal size and frequency, and the drive to eat. This review summarises the evidence on how exercise affects appetite and eating behaviour, and in particular answers the question: “does exercise induce an increase in food intake to compensate for the increase in energy expenditure?” Evidence will be presented to demonstrate that there is no automatic increase in food intake in response to acute exercise, and that the response to repeated exercise is variable. The review will also identify areas of further study required to explain the variability.

One limitation with studies that assess the efficacy of exercise as a method of weight control is that only mean data are presented – the individual variability tends to be overlooked. Recent evidence highlights the importance of characterising the individual variability by demonstrating exercise-induced changes in appetite. Individuals who experience lower than theoretically predicted reductions in body weight can be characterised by hedonic (e.g., pleasure) and homeostatic (e.g., hunger) features.