Working out hard may fast-track your weight loss goals — especially if you’re a woman.
A small study from the University of Virginia found that vigorous exercise suppresses levels of the “hunger hormone” ghrelin in healthy adults more than a moderate workout.
“We found that individuals felt ‘less hungry’ after high-intensity exercise compared to moderate-intensity exercise,” said lead study author Kara Anderson.
Eight men and six women participated in the study by fasting overnight and exercising at various intensities. Then they reported how hungry they felt.
The researchers measured their blood lactate, which indicates the intensity of exercise, and their levels of ghrelin, a hormone primarily produced in the stomach that tells the brain when it’s time to eat.
Ghrelin circulates in two forms — acylated, the active hormone, and deacylated, the most abundant form of ghrelin in the body.
Female participants had higher amounts of total ghrelin at the start of the study compared to the men — and only women demonstrated “significantly reduced” acylated ghrelin after the intense exercise, according to the study.
Less acylated ghrelin means less hunger.
Moderate-intensity exercise didn’t change ghrelin levels or led to an increase, the researchers said.
These findings, published Thursday in the Journal of the Endocrine Society, indicate that exercising above a certain lactate threshold may be needed to suppress ghrelin.
“Exercise should be thought of as a ‘drug,’ where the ‘dose’ should be customized based on an individual’s personal goals,” Anderson said. “Our research suggests that high-intensity exercise may be important for appetite suppression, which can be particularly useful as part of a weight loss program.”
The new study results add to the long-running debate about whether cardio or strength training is better for weight loss.
Cardio typically burns more calories per sweat session, but strength training builds muscle mass, which burns more calories when the body is at rest.
