Mistake before exercise could stop you burning fat as fast, experts warn
It's a common health question - when is the best time to eat when it comes to morning exercise? Many people prefer to fuel up before they hit the gym, while others like to work out on an empty stomach and enjoy their breakfast afterwards.
And it seems that timing plays an important role for those looking to gain the biggest health benefits. Professor Javier Gonzalez from the University of Bath once conducted an experiment to determine whether it's better to eat breakfast before or after exercise.
He studied dozens of men who either had breakfast before exercising or completed a workout in a fasted state. And he discovered that those who waited to eat until after they had hit the gym gained the biggest health benefits — and may even have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
His team divided 30 men, who were all overweight or obese, into three groups. One team took part in a moderate paced bike ride in a lab before eating, while another had breakfast then rode their bikes. The third group didn't exercise at all. The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism in 2019, found that the men who exercised on an empty stomach burned about double the amount of fat than the group who exercised after breakfast.
The researchers found that this result came down to lower insulin levels during exercise when people had fasted, which forced their body to use more of the fat from their fat tissue, rather than within their muscles, as fuel. Professor Gonzalez did note there was no noticeable weight loss difference between the groups. But he found that those who didn't eat before cycling had an improved blood insulin response.
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"The men who performed exactly the same exercise after eating breakfast did not show this improvement in blood insulin response," Professor Gonzalez said. The finding suggests that this group would have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
He told the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast: "It can be useful to do at least some exercise before you have breakfast and that seems to improve some of the longer-term benefits, including our insulin response, potentially fat burning, which may relate to other health outcomes, but not necessarily weight loss."
It comes after Health and dieting guru Michael Mosley revealed what happened to his blood sugar levels when he ate reheated pasta for lunch instead of fresh - and the discovery is mind-blowing!
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