Acute effects of exercise intensity on pos-exercise food intake in young men

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of different aerobic exercise intensities (40 and 80% do VO2peak) on post-exercise food intake. The sample was composed of eighteen healthy, physically active young men, of normal weight (22.20 ± 1.72 kg/m²). Subjects were randomly submitted to three experimental conditions: control (no exercise); low-intensity exercise (LIE -40% of VO2peak) and high-intensity exercise (HIE- 80% of VO2peak). Exercise trials were iso-caloric (350 Kcal). After 120 minutes of passive recovery, the volunteers had free access to a variety food buffet, and food intake was determined thru food weight. Data was analyzed by the software Nutwin 6.0 (UNIFESP, 2002) to estimate total energy intake (kcal) and consumption of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and lipids). The results suggest that food intake after exercise showed no significant differences between the experimental conditions. In conclusion, food intake after exercise is not dependent on exercise intensity in healthy young men.