Burn Double The Fat By Exercising At This Time, Study Finds

Exercising after a night long fasting can have a positive effect on a person’s overall health, according to a study. The study suggested that people can burn double the fat by exercising early in the morning.

The research that was published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism on Friday looked into the various health benefits of exercising on an empty stomach in the morning. And, the study suggested that getting involved in some physical activity before breakfast can be much more beneficial than exercising after breakfast.

This is not the first time a study is suggesting the importance of exercising early in the morning, but this could be the first time a research is suggesting how exercising before breakfast can lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.

For the study, the research team observed a total of 30 obese or overweight men for six weeks. The participants were divided into three groups. While the first group of people exercised before breakfast, the second group exercised after food and the third group did not make any change in their lifestyle as they belonged to a control group.

When the researchers compared the results of all the three groups, they found that participants who exercised before breakfast burned double the fat than their counterparts. This group also had better control of their blood sugar levels.

“Our results suggest that changing the timing of when you eat in relation to when you exercise can bring about profound and positive changes to your overall health. We found that the men in the study who exercised before breakfast burned double the amount of fat than the group who exercised after. Importantly, whilst this didn't have any effect on weight loss, it did dramatically improve their overall health,” co-researcher Javier Gonzalez of the Department for Health at the University of Bath, said in a statement.

The research team found that people who exercised before breakfast had better control over their blood sugar levels mainly because of lower insulin levels in their bodies after night-long fasting. It helped the body to use more fat issues during workouts.

“The group who exercised before breakfast increased their ability to respond to insulin, which is all the more remarkable given that both exercise groups lost a similar amount of weight and both gained a similar amount of fitness. The only difference was the timing of the food intake,” Gonzalez said.

However, the study has its own limitations mainly because it did not look into long term health benefits of exercising before breakfast. The research team was also not able to find out if gender differences can affect the result.

“This work suggests that performing exercise in the overnight-fasted state can increase the health benefits of exercise for individuals, without changing the intensity, duration or perception of their effort. We now need to explore the longer-term effects of this type of exercise and whether women benefit in the same way as men,” Gareth Wallis of the University of Birmingham, who is a co-author of the study, said.