The Study
Effect of Exercise Intensity on Spontaneous Physical Activity Energy Expenditure in Overweight Boys: A Crossover Study
This study showed that when overweight boys exercise hard or moderately for one hour, they burn more calories over the next six days—even if they move a little less later on. But it doesn't prove that exercise makes them lose weight, just that they used more energy overall.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When boys who are overweight do a 60-minute workout, they burn more calories that day — but then they move a little less the next few days to make up for it.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 560 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even with reduced movement afterward, vigorous exercise still led to a meaningful net increase in calories burned, which could help with weight management.
- 2After a hard workout, boys burned 5271 kcal over 6 days — 169 kcal more than no workout, and 78 kcal more than a moderate workout.
- 3Even though they moved less after day 1, they still burned more overall.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
PLoS ONE
Year
2016
Authors
V. Paravidino, M. Mediano, D. Hoffman, R. Sichieri
Related Content
Claims (6)
People burn a similar amount of energy each day, even when they exercise more or less than usual.
In overweight adolescent boys, a single session of moderate or vigorous exercise leads to a temporary decrease in daily movement energy expenditure over the next six days, but this decrease is not enough to cancel out the extra calories burned during the exercise.
In overweight adolescent boys, both moderate and vigorous aerobic exercise lead to the same decrease in daily movement energy expenditure between day 2 and day 6, even though the total energy burned during the exercise sessions differs.
In overweight boys aged 11 to 13, one 60-minute session of vigorous aerobic exercise leads to 169 more kilocalories burned over six days compared to no exercise, and 78 more kilocalories than moderate exercise, even though spontaneous movement decreases slightly afterward.
In overweight boys aged 11 to 13, high-intensity aerobic exercise increases energy burned by 20% in the first hour and 14% after 24 hours compared to moderate-intensity aerobic exercise.
After one intense workout that burns 5271 kilocalories, the total energy burned over six days is higher than after a control session that burns 5102 kilocalories in overweight adolescent boys, even though their daily movement decreases starting on day two.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.