Effect of Exercise on Appetite in Response to Meals

January 4, 2026 updated by: James Dorling, PhD, University of Glasgow

Acute Effect of Exercise on Post-meal Appetite, Appetite-Regulatory Hormones, and Energy Intake in Healthy Men

This clinical trial's primary aim is to investigate the acute effect of two exercise bouts (short [10 minutes] and long [30 minutes]) on appetite and appetite-regulatory hormone responses to a standard meal test. The secondary aim is to investigate when the changes in appetite and appetite-regulatory hormones occur during exercise. As an exploratory aim, the researchers will test if the two exercise bouts influence ad libitum energy intake in the periods after the standard meal test. The researchers will compare three groups (control, short exercise, and prolonged exercise) to see if the exercise bouts affect appetite, appetite-regulatory hormones, and energy intake in healthy men.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Study Design

Screening visit Before conducting the main experiments, the participants will attend a screening visit where consent will be obtained, and they will complete questionnaires to assess health, food preferences, and physical activity. The researchers will then measure the participants' height, weight, waist circumference, and body composition.

After the researchers confirm the eligibility criteria, participants will take part in two treadmill tests to establish maximum oxygen uptake test (V̇O2 max) (Broom et al. 2017).

Experimental design After the screening visit, the participants will complete three main experiments (control, short high-intensity exercise, and prolonged high-intensity exercise) in a counter-balanced design. All experiments began at ~0930, following an overnight fast of at least 10 hours. Participants will consume a prescribed meal in the evening before each main experiment. Following this meal, participants are only allowed to drink water until the start of the main experiments.

At the beginning of the exercise conditions, participants will run on the treadmill for 10 minutes (short) or 30 minutes (prolonged) at a speed estimated to elicit a 75% V̇O2 peak, followed by rest in the laboratory. In the control condition, the researchers will follow the same protocols except that the participants will not perform any exercise. The participants will have a standardized meal after exercise and then an ad libitum buffet meal afterward.

During each experiment, the researchers will assess appetite ratings using 100 mm visual analog scales (Flint et al. 2000). The researchers will also collect blood samples to examine ghrelin, peptide YY, glucagon-like peptide 1, and possibly other blood-borne measures.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

14

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Males aged 18 years or older.
  • Have stable body mass for at least six months (within ±2 kg).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Females
  • People who are younger than 18 or older than 65 years old.
  • Have food allergies.
  • Have significant contraindications to exercise (e.g., an injury that would inhibit running).
  • Smoking.
  • Suffering from metabolic health issues, e.g., history of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or eating disorders.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Basic Science
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Crossover Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
No Intervention: Control
The participants will not perform any exercise.
Experimental: Short Exercise
The participants will run on the treadmill for 10 minutes.
Other: Bouts of Exercise
The participants will run on the treadmill for 10 minutes (short) or 30 minutes (prolonged).
Experimental: Prolonged Exercise
The participants will run on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
Other: Bouts of Exercise
The participants will run on the treadmill for 10 minutes (short) or 30 minutes (prolonged).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in Peptide-YY (PYY)
Time Frame: At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Blood samples will be drawn at different time points during the trial to measure the change in PYY blood levels. Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of PYY will be calculated using the trapezoidal rule.
At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Change in Ghrelin
Time Frame: At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Blood samples will be drawn at different time points during the trial to measure the change in ghrelin blood levels. Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of ghrelin will be calculated using the trapezoidal rule.
At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Change in Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1)
Time Frame: At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Blood samples will be drawn at different time points during the trial to measure the change in GLP-1 blood levels. Area under the plasma concentration versus time curve (AUC) of GLP-1 will be calculated using the trapezoidal rule.
At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4 hours
Change in subjective appetite sensations
Time Frame: At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, and 6 hours
The subjective appetite sensations will be assessed using 100 mm visual analog scales (VAS) to measure appetite sensations (hunger, satiety, fullness, prospective food consumption, and desire to eat). The VAS are 100 mm long, with words anchored at each end expressing the most positive and negative ratings. Scores for each appetite construct range from 0-100.
At 0 (baseline), 0.167, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 4, 5, 5.5, and 6 hours

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Energy Intake
Time Frame: At 5 hours
To determine the amount of each food item consumed, we will measure the difference in weight between before and after the meal. We will use manufacturer details to determine energy consumption.
At 5 hours
Macro-nutrient Intake
Time Frame: At 5 hours
To determine the amount of each food item consumed, we will measure the difference in weight between before and after the meal. We will use manufacturer details to determine macronutrient consumption
At 5 hours

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Glasgow

Collaborators

Northern Border University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: James Dorling, PhD, University of Glasgow

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

November 6, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

October 5, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

October 11, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 19, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

October 23, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

January 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 4, 2026

Last Verified

January 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 200220449

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

The stored data will be anonymous and follow the guidelines of the General Data Protection Regulation enforced in May 2018. Hard copies of participant information forms, including consent forms and dietary intake records, will be kept in locked filing cabinets. Keys to the filing cabinets will only be available to the primary investigator. All databases will be password protected and stored on a university computer with firewalls.

Participants' identifiable data will be stored in a locked cabinet. Digital data will be stored anonymously within the server of the University of Glasgow.

This project's Principal Investigator will be responsible for sharing the research data.

Data will be preserved in Enlighten, the official online repository of Glasgow University's research output.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

The data will be available when the study is completed.

Data will be preserved for 10 years.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be shared via the repository deposit (Enlighten). Only signatories of end-user agreements can access and use shared data.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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