A new WA study made the news for suggesting exercise was more effective in suppressing appetite than Ozempic, but the findings aren’t quite that straightforward.
In good news for anyone looking to get more active, or establish healthier eating habits after the festive season, new research shows that getting active doesn’t just burn calories – it can also help us regulate our appetite and cravings.
The study, which involved researchers at Murdoch University and focused on men with obesity, has revealed exercise can reduce your appetite for a few hours afterwards by releasing appetite-supressing hormones into the bloodstream.
This goes against the common perception that exercise is counterproductive if you’re trying to lose weight because it makes you hungry.
The study’s author, associate professor Timothy Fairchild from Murdoch University’s Health Futures Institute, says the type of exercise matters, with higher impact exercise suppressing appetite to a greater degree.
“All types of exercise have been shown to release these appetite-supressing hormones, but higher impact exercises such as walking, running or jumping, seem to have a greater effect on these hormones”
While there is more research to be done, Fairchild says these results are a valuable reminder that lifestyle factors have a strong and relevant role in helping people to live their healthiest lives. Added to this are the physical and mental health benefits of regular exercise.
“The key lesson is to stay active for as often and long as possible. There are very few downsides to exercising more, and countless upsides.”
Jessica Weiss, pharmacist and educator at Diabetes WA, says these findings give people with diabetes a great incentive to add exercise in, whenever it works best for them.
“We are always hearing that exercising after meals helps lower glucose levels, but if exercising on a full stomach leaves you feeling sluggish, exercising before a meal may work even better in managing your appetite,” Weiss says.
Although some media coverage of the study has focused on comparing exercise to appetite-suppressing drugs such as Ozempic, the study tested multiple hormones and did not involve people living with diabetes.
“The appetite suppressing hormone we measured in this study is GLP-1, which is the same hormone Ozempic mimics and hence why media has made a direct connection,” Fairchild says.
“Why is this important for someone with diabetes? Because another action of GLP-1 is to help your pancreas secrete insulin, which may have benefits for people in the early stages of type 2 diabetes.”
Even if no direct comparison with Ozempic can be made, the findings build on previous research around the effect of exercise on hormones for people with diabetes.
“We know physical activity has a positive impact on many hormonal processes, from our mood to reducing our insulin resistance, and we know this effect is dependent on the intensity and frequency of the physical activity,” Weiss says.
“It is very exciting to understand more about the impact that physical activity can have on other pathways, and how we can use it for treatment or prevention of health conditions such as diabetes.”
