Energy Compensation Following a Supervised Exercise Intervention in Women Living With Overweight/Obesity Is Accompanied by an Early and Sustained Decrease in Non-structured Physical Activity

Abstract

Background/Objectives Body composition (BC) does not always vary as a function of exercise induced energy expenditure (exercise EE – resting EE). Energy balance variables were measured to understand energy compensation (EC) in response to an exercise intervention performed at low (LOW) or moderate (MOD) intensity. Subjects/Methods Twenty-one women with overweight/obesity (33 ± 5 kg/m 2 ; 29 ± 10 yrs; 31 ± 4 ml O 2 /kg/min) were randomized to a 3-month LOW or MOD (40 or 60% of VȮ 2reserve , respectively) matched to expend 1500 kcal/week (compliance = 97 ± 5%). Body energy stores (DXA), energy intake (EI) (food menu and food diaries), resting EE (indirect calorimetry), total EE (doubly-labeled water), time spent in different activities (accelerometers), appetite (visual analog scale), eating behavior traits and food reward (liking and wanting) were assessed at baseline, after weeks 1 and 2 and at the end of the 3-month exercise intervention. Results EC based on BC changes (fat mass and fat-free mass) was 49 ± 79% and 161 ± 88% in LOW and MOD groups, respectively ( p = 0.010). EI did not change significantly during the intervention. However, eating behavior traits and food reward had changed by the end of the 3-month supervised exercise. Non-structured physical activity (NSPA) decreased across the intervention ( p < 0.002), independent of the intensity of the exercise training. Conclusion Women with overweight/obesity training at LOW presented lower EC for a given energy cost of exercise. Our results strongly suggest that NSPA plays a major role in mediating the effects of exercise on energy balance and ultimately on changes in BC. Clinical Trial Registration www.ClinicalTrials.gov , identifier ISRCTN31641049.

The Impact of Physical Activity on Food Reward: Review and Conceptual Synthesis of Evidence from Observational, Acute, and Chronic Exercise Training Studies

“…However, more recent analyses with a non-exercising control group revealed that in response to a high-fat and high-carbohydrate fixed lunch (hungry and fed states), overall implicit wanting decreased after the 12-week exercise intervention, whereas no changes in explicit liking were found [54]. This is corroborated by another study that found a decrease in implicit wanting for high-fat relative to low-fat food in women who underwent a 3-month exercise intervention (300 kcal, 5 days/week) [62]. When food reward was measured in response to an exercise bout post-intervention in that study, there was also a decrease in liking for savory foods whereas liking for savory foods increase after acute exercise at baseline.…”

“…However, the effect sizes were relatively small and inter-individual variability tended to be large. Two studies found a reduction in implicit wanting for high-fat relative to low-fat foods after exercise training [54,62]. This may be a result of a direct effect of exercise on brain regions related to food reward, as shown by the fMRI studies included in the current review, and others [73,74].…”

Adipose Tissue Development and Expansion from the Womb to Adolescence: An Overview

“…According to the author, the human body compensates for the increases in energy expenditure through exercise by reducing the energy expended in non-physical-activity metabolic activity; therefore, a negative energy balance that results in adiposity changes is unlikely to occur. More recent studies in the adult population have shown that increases in dietary intake accompanied by exercise initiation is a mechanism often observed that contributes to compensation [ 129 , 130 ]. In adolescents with obesity, energy intake ad libitum was greater at the end of long-term exercise programs (≥12 weeks) compared to baseline, with compensation being a characteristic of restrained eaters [ 131 , 132 ].…”

Effect of Combined Interval and Continuous Exercise Training on Gastric Emptying, Appetite, and Adaptive Responses in Men With Overweight and Obesity

“…To estimate energy expenditure from the prescribed exercise, individual energy expenditure regression equations were developed for each participant using the heart rate and energy expenditure values recorded during the last 30 s of each stage of the VO 2 max test, similar to previous work (46)(47)(48). Heart rates recorded during the prescribed exercise sessions were then inserted into the individual regression equations to predict energy expenditure.…”

“…Energy compensation was calculated following Riou et al (46,49) based on the total estimated energy expended during prescribed exercise (EE), and changes in fat (FM) and fat free mass (FFM) observed using energy equivalents for fat mass and fat free mass previously described (50) (46,49).…”