The effect of exercise on food intake in men and women

To study the effect of acute exercise on caloric intake in normal-weight young people, food intake was monitored in 10 men and 10 women during consecutive 5-d periods, one with and one without exercise. Food intake during the exercise period was compared with that during the control period. Caloric intake during the control period was 2467 +/- 165 kcal/d (means +/- SEM) for men and 1831 +/- 103 kcal/d for women. During the exercise period the men increased their caloric intake to 2658 +/- 188 kcal/d and the women's caloric intake remained unchanged, 1830 +/- 91 kcal/d. Caloric intake was not affected by sequence of treatment or duration of protocol. Men responded to 5 d of acute exercise with increased caloric intake (208 +/- 64 kcal/d), which was insufficient to compensate for the caloric cost of exercise (596 kcal/d above resting metabolic rate). Women did not change their caloric intake despite expending 382 kcals/d during exercise. Consequently, both normal-weight men and women were in negative caloric balance during the exercise period.