Hitting the gym before sitting at the breakfast table is good for your body, according to a new study.
For six weeks, scientists in the UK tracked the weight loss progress of 30 overweight and obese men who had been divided into three groups: those who ate breakfast before exercising; those who ate after; and a control group who made no lifestyle changes.
Aside from their flipped schedules, the research participants’ workout routines and food intake were the same.
Researchers found that those who engaged in physical activity prior to eating their first meal of the day “burned double the amount of fat” compared to the group who exercised after breakfast, according to Dr. Javier Gonzalez of the University of Bath.
“Our results suggest that changing the timing of when you eat in relation to when you exercise can bring about profound and positive changes to your overall health,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
The combined research teams from the universities of Bath and Birmingham concluded that the uptick in fat burning was thanks to the fact that our insulin levels are lower in the morning. Having fasted during sleep, bodies resort to using fat already stored in tissues for energy, rather than turning to the food just consumed for energy.
While this difference did not lead to any difference in weight loss, the findings do reveal “profound and positive” health effects by helping keep blood sugar in check, warding against diabetes and heart disease.
“The group who exercised before breakfast increased their ability to respond to insulin, which is all the more remarkable given that both exercise groups lost a similar amount of weight and both gained a similar amount of fitness,” said Gonzalez. “The only difference was the timing of the food intake.”
Moreover, the group who broke a sweat first thing in the morning were better off as the day went on: their muscles responded more sensitively to insulin, and showed an increase in proteins that help regulate glucose in the bloodstream. In the end, those who worked out after breakfast exhibited similar insulin responses to the control group — so their workouts were ineffective in that sense.
“This work suggests that performing exercise in the overnight-fasted state can increase the health benefits of exercise for individuals, without changing the intensity, duration or perception of their effort,” said study co-author Dr. Gareth Wallis of the University of Birmingham. “We now need to explore the longer-term effects of this type of exercise and whether women benefit in the same way as men.”
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