The Influence of Acute Moderate-intensity Continuous Exercise on Appetite Regulation

A key area of obesity research has focused on the link between appetite, energy balance and weight control. Within this area, several appetite-related hormones and cellular cytokines have been identified as key signals influencing appetite and food intake. This includes the appetite-suppressing hormone oxyntomodulin (OXM) and a cellular stress-induced cytokine growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15).

The aims of this study are: (1) to investigate the effect of acute moderate-intensity continuous exercise on oxyntomodulin and GDF-15 concentrations; (2) to investigate whether exercise-induced changes in circulating OXM and GDF-15 concentrations are correlated with subjective appetite perceptions and subsequent energy intake.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Obesity; Overweight
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Exercise

Detailed Description

Oxyntomodulin is thought to promote weight loss by suppressing appetite and energy intake and increasing energy expenditure. Acute exercise has been shown to increase the circulating concentration of satiety-related gut hormones, such as glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) and peptide YY (PYY). However, the effect of acute exercise on OXM concentrations in individuals with healthy weight has not been investigated.

GDF-15 is a cellular stress-induced cytokine which has recently been shown to suppress appetite. A few studies have explored the effect of acute exercise on GDF-15 concentrations but the findings are conflicting. Some studies have shown that acute exercise, which provides a transient physiological stress, increased GDF-15 concentrations, but other studies have not found any influence of exercise on GDF-15 concentrations. In addition, whether post-exercise appetite perceptions and subsequent energy intake are influenced by exercise-related changes in OXM or GDF-15 concentrations remains unknown.

To explore the impact of acute moderate-intensity continuous exercise on OXM and GDF-15 levels, alongside subjective appetite perceptions and subsequent energy intake, all participants in this crossover study engaged in both exercise and control trials, with a minimum one-week interval between each.

During the exercise trial, participants were asked to arrive at the lab at 8.30 am, having fasted overnight for 10 hours (except plain water). Participants were asked to rest in the lab for 30 minutes. During the resting period, a cannula was positioned in the participants' arm and a mask was fitted on the face in the last five minutes of the rest to allow for the collection of exhaled air during exercise. After the resting period, participants were asked to exercise at an intensity of 70 percent of their peak oxygen uptake for an hour before resting in the lab for a further 2.5 hours. Venous blood samples were collected before (0 minutes) and after (60, 90, 120, 150, 180, and 210 minutes) exercise and ad libitum energy intake was assessed 1 h after exercise completion. For the control trial, participants replicated all the procedures of the exercise trial except they rested for 1 h as the exercise counterpart.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 20
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United Kingdom
  • Loughborough, United Kingdom, LE11 3TU
    • Loughborough University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Body mass index between 18.5-24.9 kg/m²;
• Habitually consume three meals a day;
• Able to run continuously for 1 hour;
• Not currently dieting and weight stable for 3 months (< 3 kg change in weight);
• No severe dislike or allergy to any of the study food;
• Regular menstrual cycle in the past 6 months.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Smokers (vaping is considered smoking in this study);
• Individuals with medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, heart condition);
• Individuals taking medications that may influence the study outcomes;
• Individuals with clinically diagnosed eating disorders.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Exercise; Participants were asked to arrive at the lab at 8.30 am, having fasted overnight for 10 hours. After resting in the lab for 30 minutes, participants were asked to exercise at an intensity of 70 percent of their peak oxygen uptake for an hour before resting in the lab for a further 2.5 hours. Ad libitum energy intake was assessed 1 h after exercise completion.	Behavioral: Exercise; 60 min of treadmill exercise performed at 70% of peak oxygen uptake.
No Intervention: Control; Participants replicated all the procedures of the exercise trial except they rested for 1 h as the exercise counterpart.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Oxyntomodulin	(pmol/L)	Blood samples were collected for oxyntomodulin measurements at 0 (baseline), 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210 minutes in each trial.
Growth Differentiation Factor 15	(pg/mL)	Blood samples were collected for GDF-15 measurements at 0 (baseline), 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210 minutes in each trial.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Visual analogue score (VAS) for subjective appetite	Subjective appetite sensations were assessed using 100mm visual analogue scales to measure four appetite constructs: 'hunger', 'fullness,' 'desire to eat' and 'expected food intake'.	VAS was measured at 0 (baseline), 60, 90, 120, 150, 180, 210 minutes in each trial.
Energy intake	(kcal); participants were required to self-serve from a large bowl containing an amount of pasta in excess of expected consumption for 30 minutes and were instructed to stop eating when they reach volitional satiation. The remaining food was weighed and subtracted from the known quantity initially presented to calculate ad libitum energy intake.	Ad libitum pasta meal provided at 120 minutes.

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Loughborough University
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: David J Stensel, Loughborough University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): June 23, 2023
• Primary Completion (Actual): November 7, 2023
• Study Completion (Actual): November 7, 2023

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 29, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 29, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): March 6, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 6, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 29, 2024
• Last Verified: February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Exercise; Appetite; Growth differentiation factor 15; Oxyntomodulin; GDF-15
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Body Weight; Overweight
• Other Study ID Numbers: Loughborough University

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: Anonymised data will be made available to researchers upon request.

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No