Exercise
IN PHOTO: People participate in an aerobics class at the gymnasium Reuters/ Juan Carlos Ulate

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen in Scotland studied the effect that a heated workout had on appetite. The researchers came to a conclusion that appetite as well as how one is likely to eat after a workout was affected by the temperature during the workout.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the Scottish researchers found that swimmers had a bigger appetite in comparison to those who exercised on land. The research included 16 inactive adults. The researchers wanted to see if it was the temperature of the water or the efforts that swimmers put in that increased the appetite.

The 16 participants were asked to run on a treadmill in both cold and warm conditions, with the temperatures being 8 and 20 degrees Celsius, respectively. Before and after the wor-out, the measurement of metabolic rate as well as measurements of endurance capacity and of the hormones related to appetite were taken from the participants.

After the workout, the adults were provided with a buffet and were asked to eat everything they wanted to. The same measurements that were taken before and after the workout were taken again after the meal.

Prior to the study, the researchers were of the belief that the body put in more effort while working in cold conditions. It was found that the participants who exercised in colder conditions had a bigger appetite and felt more hungry, which resulted in piling up of their plates and high consumption of carbohydrates.

It was found that the participants, who worked out in warm conditions, had success burning more calories and aiding weight loss. The researchers reasoned this out by saying that the body put in more effort to keep itself cool, which resulted in more calories getting burned.

An associate professor from the faculty of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Sydney, Corinne Caillaud, seemed to agree with the research and said that there was another research that supported the findings of the new study. She said that future research will look into the effect that exercising in warm conditions will have on metabolism.

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