RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Effect of Exercise on Appetite in Response to Meals

This study aims to understand how different amounts of exercise affect men's hunger and the hormones that tell your body you're full or hungry. We're testing if exercising for either 10 or 30 minutes changes a man's appetite after a meal. We'll also look at when these changes happen during exercise and if exercise influences how much food men choose to eat freely afterward. Healthy men will take part, comparing a no-exercise day with two days involving either a short or a longer exercise session. This helps us see if and how exercise might impact how much we want to eat.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

University of Glasgow

Enrolment target

Start

06 Nov 2023

Estimated completion

05 Oct 2026

Healthy

What is this study about?

This study wants to find out how different amounts of exercise affect your hunger and the hormones that control it. We're looking at healthy men and comparing what happens to their appetite after they do a short burst of exercise (10 minutes) or a longer one (30 minutes) compared to when they don't exercise at all. Understanding this could help us learn more about how exercise might naturally influence how much we want to eat.

The main idea is to see if exercising changes your appetite and your 'hunger hormones' right after you've had a meal. We're also curious to know if these changes happen during the exercise itself, or if they show up later. As a bonus, we'll check if exercising makes a difference to how much food someone chooses to eat freely after their main meal, without being told how much to have. This could give us clues about how exercise might affect our daily food choices.

To do this, we'll have men visit the lab on three separate occasions. One visit will be a control day with no exercise. On the other two visits, they'll do either the short or the longer exercise session. We'll give them a standard meal and carefully measure their hunger feelings and hormone levels. By comparing these days, we hope to get a clearer picture of how moving your body might influence your appetite.

Key takeaways

This study explores how 10 or 30 minutes of running affects men's hunger.
It checks if exercise changes appetite hormones and how much food is eaten later.
Healthy men aged 18-65, with stable weight, are needed.
Participation involves fitness tests, exercise sessions, standard meals, and blood samples.
The goal is to better understand links between exercise, appetite, and eating habits.
You can withdraw from the study at any time.

Who may be eligible?

To join this study, you need to be a man aged between 18 and 65 years old. It's important that your weight has been steady for at least the last six months, meaning it hasn't changed by more than about 2 kilograms in that time.

Unfortunately, this study is not for women or anyone outside the specified age range. You also can't take part if you have any food allergies, or if you have an injury or health condition that would make running difficult or unsafe. We also cannot include people who smoke, or those with certain health problems like diabetes, heart disease, or eating disorders.

The researchers will check all these things carefully during a screening visit to make sure the study is safe and right for you.

Could this study suit you?

Answer these quick questions to see if you may be eligible. This is a guide only — the research team makes the final call.

Are you a man?
Are you between 18 and 65 years old?
Has your weight been stable (within 2kg) for the last 6 months?
Do you have any severe food allergies?
Do you have any injuries or medical conditions that prevent you from running?
Do you have a history of diabetes, heart problems, or eating disorders?

Answer every question to see your result.

What does participation involve?

If you decide to take part, you'll first have a screening visit. During this visit, we'll explain the study in detail and you can ask any questions. We'll then get your permission to join. We'll ask you to fill out questionnaires about your health, what foods you like, and how active you usually are. We'll also measure your height, weight, waist size, and body composition. To make sure you're fit enough for the exercise, you'll do two treadmill tests to measure your top fitness level.

After this, you'll come back for three main experimental visits, each starting around 9:30 AM. Each visit will be a few days apart, and the order of the actual experiments (no exercise, short exercise, long exercise) will be mixed up. The night before each of these visits, you'll eat a specific meal we provide, and then you can only drink water until you arrive in the morning, meaning you'll need to fast for at least 10 hours.

On the exercise days, you'll run on a treadmill for either 10 or 30 minutes at a brisk pace. On the no-exercise day, you'll follow the same schedule but without the treadmill run. After the exercise (or rest on the control day), you'll have a standard meal. Later, you'll be offered a buffet meal where you can eat as much or as little as you like. Throughout the day, we'll ask you to rate your hunger on a simple scale, and we'll take a few blood samples to look at your hunger hormones. Each main visit will last several hours, but there are no medications involved in this study.

Potential risks and benefits

Potential benefits of taking part include learning more about your own fitness levels. You might also find it interesting to contribute to our understanding of how exercise affects appetite, which could help future general health advice. The main risks are those associated with moderate-to-high intensity exercise, such as feeling tired or experiencing muscle soreness, especially if you're not used to regular exercise. There's also a small discomfort from blood tests. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without having to explain why, and this will not affect any medical care you might receive in the future.

Locations (1)

Some site locations are approximate. We're improving this — please verify with the trial team before travelling.

New Lister Building at Glasgow Royal Infirmary
Verified postcode
Glasgow, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What kind of exercise will I be doing?

You'll be running on a treadmill for either 10 minutes (short) or 30 minutes (long) at a pace that is challenging but safe for you.

Do I need to be very fit to join?

You should be able to run comfortably. We'll do fitness tests to make sure the exercise is at the right level for you and safe.

What will the 'standard meal' be?

The study will provide a consistent meal for you to eat on the evening before and after your exercise. The exact details will be given during the screening visit.

Will I get paid for taking part?

The information provided does not mention payment, but it's a good question to ask the research team.

How many times will I visit the clinic?

You'll have one screening visit and then three main visits for the experiments, so a total of four visits.

How to find out more

Sultan Alenezi, MSc

a.sultan-kheneisr-w.1@research.gla.ac.uk +44 778 653 0734 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.