Aerobic exercise reduces neuronal responses in food reward brain regions

Abstract

Acute exercise suppresses ad libitum energy intake, but little is known about the effects of exercise on food reward brain regions. After an overnight fast, 30 (17 men, 13 women), healthy, habitually active (age = 22.2 ± 0.7 yr, body mass index = 23.6 ± 0.4 kg/m(2), Vo(2peak) = 44.2 ± 1.5 ml·kg(-1)·min(-1)) individuals completed 60 min of exercise on a cycle ergometer or 60 min of rest (no-exercise) in a counterbalanced, crossover fashion. After each condition, blood oxygen level-dependent responses to high-energy food, low-energy food, and control visual cues, were measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging. Exercise, compared with no-exercise, significantly (P < 0.005) reduced the neuronal response to food (high and low food) cues vs. control cues in the insula (-0.37 ± 0.13 vs. +0.07 ± 0.18%), putamen (-0.39 ± 0.10 vs. -0.10 ± 0.09%), and rolandic operculum (-0.37 ± 0.17 vs. 0.17 ± 0.12%). Exercise alone significantly (P < 0.005) reduced the neuronal response to high food vs. control and low food vs. control cues in the inferior orbitofrontal cortex (-0.94 ± 0.33%), insula (-0.37 ± 0.13%), and putamen (-0.41 ± 0.10%). No-exercise alone significantly (P < 0.005) reduced the neuronal response to high vs. control and low vs. control cues in the middle (-0.47 ± 0.15%) and inferior occipital gyrus (-1.00 ± 0.23%). Exercise reduced neuronal responses in brain regions consistent with reduced pleasure of food, reduced incentive motivation to eat, and reduced anticipation and consumption of food. Reduced neuronal response in these food reward brain regions after exercise is in line with the paradigm that acute exercise suppresses subsequent energy intake.

Creating an acute energy deficit without stimulating compensatory increases in appetite: is there an optimal exercise protocol?

“…This is known as exercise-induced anorexia and has been demonstrated during a variety of exercise modes including running (12)(13)(14) , cycling (15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21) , swimming (22) and resistance exercise (23) . Although significant changes in appetite have been reported in these studies, values tend to return to control values within 30 min of the cessation of exercise.…”

Brain science of exercise-eating linkage for improvements in modern human health

“…In this light, a substantial amount of evidence shows the physiological interactions by which exercise might be associated with hunger and satiety, as regulated by gut hormones, in both healthy individuals and patients with metabolic diseases 16,17) . In addition, some studies investigated the roles of exercise in the appetitive responses of the higher brain centers in association with cognitive and emotional functions 18,19) .…”

“…The observed reductions in the neural responses suggest that the attentional response to visual food-related cues could be reduced with a single bout of aerobic exercise, possibly contributing to the indirect effects of physical activity on appetite. However, it remains unclear whether these attenuated neural responses contribute to an actual suppression of energy intake 19) .…”

Efeito agudo do exercício realizado em diferentes intensidades sobre a fome, hormônios relacionados ao apetite e ingestão alimentar em homens e mulheres

“…Contudo, vale ressaltar que a natureza complexa da regulação do apetite envolve muitos outros mecanismos além dos homeostáticos (respostas hormonais decorrentes do tecido adiposo, sistema gastrointenstinal relacionados ao aporte energético) (EVERO, et al, 2012). Os processos não homeostáticos (hedônicos) compõem um sistema de controle do apetite e da ingestão alimentar mediado por neurônios localizados no córtex da ínsula e orbitofrontal, e no hipocampo, todos fazendo parte do sistema mesolímbico (sistema de recompensa) (SAPERS et al, 2002).…”

“…Após uma sessão de exercício aeróbio o sistema de recompensa foi inibido ao visualizar imagens de alimentos com muitas calorias ao passo que esse sistema foi estimulado ao visualizar alimentos com baixa caloria (CABTREE et al, 2014). Além disso, o exercício pode reduzir respostas neurais em regiões cerebrais que controlam o prazer e a motivação para comer (EVERO et al, 2012). Também há suposição de que a anorexia induzida pelo exercício possa ser decorrente de alterações na motilidade gástrica (HORNER et al, 2015).…”