In overweight adults, 12 weeks of aerobic exercise leads to higher fasting levels of acylated ghrelin and lower levels of glucagon-like peptide-1, but these changes do not correlate with reductions...
Mechanism
Synthesis from 1 study
Exercise makes your body release more hunger hormone and less fullness hormone, which should make you eat more — but you don’t. Something else in your body is stopping you from eating extra, even though your stomach and intestines are sending signals to do so.
Most probable mechanism
When people do regular aerobic exercise, their stomachs release more of a hormone that makes them feel hungry, and their intestines release less of a hormone that makes them feel full. Even though these hormones change in a way that should make them eat more, they don’t end up eating more — so the body doesn’t compensate for the calories burned.
Aerobic exercise increases energy expenditure, creating a transient energy deficit that stimulates ghrelin-secreting cells in the gastric mucosa
Increased ghrelin secretion leads to elevated circulating levels of acylated ghrelin, the bioactive form that binds to hypothalamic receptors
The energy deficit reduces secretion of glucagon-like peptide-1 from intestinal L-cells, diminishing satiety signals to the brain
Elevated acylated ghrelin and reduced glucagon-like peptide-1 act on hypothalamic appetite centers to alter hunger and satiety perception
Despite these hormonal shifts, energy intake remains unchanged, indicating no compensatory increase in food consumption
Less supported by current evidence, but not ruled out
Exercise might make food feel less rewarding to the brain, so even if someone feels hungrier, they don’t feel as driven to eat more.
Aerobic exercise creates an energy deficit that activates brain reward circuits involved in food motivation
Neurobehavioral adaptations reduce the reinforcing value of food, decreasing motivation to seek or consume food
Reduced food reinforcement counteracts increased hunger signals, preventing compensatory eating
Evidence from Studies
Supporting (1)
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Energy compensation in response to aerobic exercise training in overweight adults.
Contradicting (0)
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