This study was recently published in the journal Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. A total of 30 overweight men participated in the 6-week study. These people are divided into three groups: the first group keeps the original living habits and nothing needs to be changed; The other two groups, under the arrangement of the researchers, added regular exercise, but one group ate breakfast first and then exercised later, and the other group exercised first and then ate breakfast.
Participants had a unified breakfast, with energy intake accounting for 25% of the whole day's intake, nutrients accounting for 65% of carbohydrates, 20% of fat, and 15% in protein.
"Move and eat again" fat metabolism doubles! After six weeks, the physical condition of the people who kept the original routine did not change, while the participants in the two exercise groups lost some weight and the degree of loss was similar. Given that they eat almost the same and exercise the same, it seems that this result is not unexpected.
But when the researchers turned their attention to the molecular level, something interesting happened. First of all, according to the metabolic data measured by breathing, the group that moves first and then eats tends to consume more fat, which is about twice as much as the group that moves first and then eats!
From the blood index, the blood sugar of the group of moving first and eating later was obviously better controlled, and their insulin sensitivity was also improved more. Finally, by detecting the mRNA in muscle, the researchers found that the participants in the "move first and then eat" group had higher expression levels on some key protein, especially some protein related to glucose transport.
Caption: Exercise on an empty stomach, the effect is better! /Image source: freepik exercises on an empty stomach, and the body is more inclined to consume fat. Why is this? The researchers integrated the data measured in the experiment and thought it was because we didn't eat all night. When we get up in the morning, the insulin in our body is actually in a low state. Insulin is not enough, so the body will be more inclined to choose fat for energy supply during exercise.
However, as you can see, the difference between the two groups is mainly in the improvement of insulin, and there is not much difference in "weight". Therefore, if you exercise on an empty stomach and feel dizzy and uncomfortable, you don't have to force yourself to move before eating.
However, if you are a person who pursues health improvement and have already started exercising, you might as well reschedule your exercise time and meal time to better improve your insulin sensitivity.