Health scientists at the Universities of Bath and Birmingham discovered the optimal time to exercise in order to help burn the internal belly fat – the kind that cushions next to important organs. Here are the results. Dr Javier Gonzalez said: “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.” The six-week trial involved 30 men classified as “overweight” or “obese”.
“The group who exercised before breakfast increased their ability to respond to insulin,” he said.
This is thought to potentially lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Dr Gonzalez considered this result “remarkable”, considering “the only difference was the timing of the food intake”.
“Both exercise groups lost a similar amount of weight and both gained a similar amount of fitness,” he added.
Co-author Dr Gareth Wallis said: “This work suggests that performing exercise in the overnight-fasted state can increase the health benefits of exercise for individuals.
“[This is] 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.”
The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
