Exercise and energy intake: Effect of substrate oxidation

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the short-term effect of exercise-induced alteration in fat oxidation on postexercise spontaneous energy and macronutrient intakes. Eleven young males were submitted to two randomly assigned sessions of 48 h each, during which they were requested to eat in the laboratory. One of these sessions was preceded by a 90-min exercise bout at an intensity of 60% VO2max. During both sessions, subjects ate ad lib food with a fat content conforming to the recommendations of nutrition agencies with a food quotient (FQ) ⩾ 0.85. Results showed that there was no significant change in postexercise energy and macronutrient intakes in comparison with the sedentary session. However, when subjects were subdivided into two groups on the basis of the respiratory quotient (RQ) measured during exercise, men with a low RQ (high fat oxidation) were characterized by a reduced postexercise increase in energy intake relative to the energy cost of exercise (ECE), i.e., they were more predisposed to be in negative posterexercise energy balance compared to those exhibiting a high RQ. Accordingly, exercise RQ was positively associated with postexercise energy and lipid balance. These results show that postexercise energy balance partly depends on the composition of the substrate mix oxidized during exercise.