A new study claims limiting mealtimes could increase one's motivation to exercise more. Researchers found a period of fasting caused mice to exercise voluntarily. This may be due to the surge in levels of ghrelin, an appetite-promoting hormone.
The study's findings suggest diet control may help people who are overweight to maintain a more effective exercise routine. "Ghrelin stimulates appetite through actions on the brain reward circuitry that increases motivation to eat," the authors of the study stated. It is reportedly needed for endurance exercise as it increases metabolism so the energy demands are met, especially for prolonged exercise.
Even though previous research has found a strong relationship between ghrelin and exercise, researchers have yet to determine if ghrelin can increase motivation to exercise. To investigate the relationship between the two, researchers from Japan's Kurume University School of Medicine compared food intake and wheel-running activity in two groups of mice. One group had free access to food and the other group were fed twice a day for a short amount of time. The results showed mice in the second group ran a lot more even though both groups consumed the same amount of food.
"Our findings suggest that hunger, which promotes ghrelin production, may also be involved in increasing motivation for voluntary exercise when feeding is limited. Therefore, maintaining a healthy eating routine, with regular mealtimes or fasting, could also encourage motivation for exercise in overweight people," Dr Yuji Tajiri told a news portal.
However, researchers note that more research is needed to fully explore this link. "These findings and previous reports are based on animal studies; so much more work is needed to confirm that this ghrelin response is also present in people. If it can be established in clinical practice, it not only opens up new cost-effective diet and exercise strategies but may also indicate a new therapeutic application for ghrelin-mimicking drugs," Dr Tajiri told a news portal.
The team now wants to conduct experiments in humans to understand how ghrelin acts in the brain to determine whether it can be part of strategies to tackle obesity. Two low-cost and effective ways to treat and prevent obesity are regular physical activity and food restriction, according to researchers.
Obesity has become a growing global health epidemic over the years and more effective intervention strategies are needed to protect against health complications that can erupt due to it. Sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, and binge eating are major contributing factors of obesity. Losing weight can help reduce the risk of developing serious health issues like heart disease and diabetes.
Another study has found obesity could cause fat accumulation in the lungs. "This study suggests that another mechanism is also at play. We've found that excess fat accumulates in the airway walls where it takes up space and seems to increase inflammation within the lungs. We think this is causing a thickening of the airways that limits the flow of air in and out of the lungs, and that could at least partly explain an increase in asthma symptoms,” study co-author Dr Peter Noble, an associate professor at the University of Western Australia in Perth, told a news portal.
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