Exercise does not stimulate drive to eat for vast majority of people, findings suggest

Some people believe that exercise cannot help them control body weight, as it automatically stimulates hunger and energy intake. Using a large dataset of healthy male participants, this research determined the proportion of individuals whose hunger and energy intake was stimulated by a single bout of exercise. The results showed that on the day of exercise, hunger (4%) and energy intake (10%) were increased only in a small percentage of individuals.

These findings, therefore, suggest that exercise does not stimulate a drive to eat for the vast majority of people. Additional research is needed to ensure that these findings are replicated in other important groups – such as in women and overweight individuals. This research lends support to the use and promotion of exercise as a tool to facilitate weight control.