Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Reply to Letter to the Editor
  • Published:

Response to ‘Post-exercise energy load and activities may affect subsequent ad libitum energy intake’

International Journal of Obesity volume 38, page 751 (2014)Cite this article

Subjects

My co-authors and I appreciate the opportunity to respond to the comments made in the letter by Thivel et al.1 We also take this opportunity to thank Thivel et al.1 for their interest and comments offered regarding our article.2

  1. 1

    As pointed out by Thivel et al.,1 the use of the fixed caloric load in the form of a liquid meal was to allow for a standardized comparison of the appetite-related blood variables. The authors suggest that the participants may have experienced different digestive acceptances and gastric emptying rates of the liquid meal, which may have affected energy intake in the subsequent ad libitum meal. While there is some evidence to suggest that gastric emptying may be affected by the intensity of exercise during exercise, there has been minimal research examining gastric emptying rates post exercise. The limited evidence available suggests that there are no differences in gastric emptying rates after either rest compared with low-intensity and high-intensity exercise.3 Regardless, any effect on gastric emptying rate does not change the conclusion that participants consumed less following high-intensity intermittent exercise—it simply offers an alternative explanation for the mechanism underlying this effect.

  2. 2

    The decision to use a single-item ad libitum test meal in this study rather than a buffet meal similar to what we have previously adopted4, 5, 6 was made after careful deliberation. We considered the single-item test meal to be a more sensitive measure of ad libitum energy intake, as it minimizes the potential confounding appetite-regulating influence that a multiple item test meal may have (that is, a varied proportion of macronutrient consumption may influence overall energy intake due to the varying satiating properties of carbohydrate, fat and protein7, 8). In response to the concern of Thivel et al.1 that the repetition of this meal may have reduced consumption during the last experimental trial, we have analysed energy intake from the porridge meal for an effect of the order of trial administration and found no significant effect (P=0.759).

  3. 3

    Regarding the amount of time (20 min) given to participants to consume the ad libitum test meal, we acknowledge that eating duration may vary between individuals. However, we do not feel that the imposed duration affected energy intake from the test meal, as there were no instances following the allocated 20 min where participants were not finished with their ad libitum meal and required more time when asked.

  4. 4

    While we acknowledge the effect that the performance of knowledge-based activities may have on energy intake,9 it is important to note that each participant completed the same type of activity between trials (that is, if they read a book during their first visit, they did the same for the other three remaining trial sessions.) Given the within-subjects repeated-measures design of the study, any difference in energy intake observed between trials is likely the result of the differences in the exercise protocol, not the type of sedentary activity performed following exercise.

As pointed out by Thivel et al.,1 the use of the fixed caloric load in the form of a liquid meal was to allow for a standardized comparison of the appetite-related blood variables. The authors suggest that the participants may have experienced different digestive acceptances and gastric emptying rates of the liquid meal, which may have affected energy intake in the subsequent ad libitum meal. While there is some evidence to suggest that gastric emptying may be affected by the intensity of exercise during exercise, there has been minimal research examining gastric emptying rates post exercise. The limited evidence available suggests that there are no differences in gastric emptying rates after either rest compared with low-intensity and high-intensity exercise.3 Regardless, any effect on gastric emptying rate does not change the conclusion that participants consumed less following high-intensity intermittent exercise—it simply offers an alternative explanation for the mechanism underlying this effect.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Thivel D, Duche P, Morio B . Post-exercise energy load and activities may affect subsequent ad libitum energy intake. Int J Obes (Lond) 2014; 38: 750.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Sim AY, Wallman KE, Fairchild TJ, Guelfi KJ . High-intensity intermittent exercise attenuates ad-libitum energy intake. Int J Obes (Lond) 2014; 38: 417–422.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Evans GH, Shirreffs SM, Watson P, Maughan RJ . Gastric emptying rate and perceived hunger after rest and exercise in man. Br J Sports Med 2010; 44: i20–i21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Shorten AL, Wallman KE, Guelfi KJ . Acute effect of environmental temperature during exercise on subsequent energy intake in active men. Am J Clin Nutr 2009; 90: 1215–1221.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Balaguera-Cortes L, Wallman KE, Fairchild TJ, Guelfi KJ . Energy intake and appetite-related hormones following acute aerobic and resistance exercise. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab 2011; 36: 958–966.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Kelly PJ, Guelfi KJ, Wallman KE, Fairchild TJ . Mild dehydration does not reduce postexercise appetite or energy intake. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2012; 44: 516–524.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Holt SH, Miller JC, Petocz P, Farmakalidis E . A satiety index of common foods. Eur J Clin Nutr 1995; 49: 675–690.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Gerstein DE, Woodward-Lopez G, Evans AE, Kelsey K, Drewnowski A . Clarifying concepts about macronutrients’ effects on satiation and satiety. J Am Diet Assoc 2004; 104: 1151–1153.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Chaput JP, Tremblay A . Acute effects of knowledge-based work on feeding behavior and energy intake. Physiol Behav 2007; 90: 66–72.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    A Y Sim, K E Wallman & K J Guelfi

  2. School of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

    T J Fairchild

Authors
  1. A Y Sim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. K E Wallman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T J Fairchild
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. K J Guelfi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Y Sim.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sim, A., Wallman, K., Fairchild, T. et al. Response to ‘Post-exercise energy load and activities may affect subsequent ad libitum energy intake’. Int J Obes 38, 751 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.167

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2013.167

Search

Advanced search

Quick links