Acute appetite and gut-hormone responses to two combined training sessions: a randomized crossover study in men with obesity

Abstract

This randomized crossover study compared acute appetite-related, gut-hormone, and energy-intake responses between moderate-intensity resistance plus aerobic training (RAT) and high-intensity functional plus aerobic training (FAT) in males with obesity. Twenty-one men with obesity completed both protocols in a randomized crossover design. Subjective appetite was assessed using a visual analogue scale, and insulin, glucagon-like peptide-1, and peptide YY (PYY) were measured pre-, post-, and 1 h post-exercise. Energy intake was recorded during subsequent meals and over 2 days. PYY responses differed between conditions over time, with a significant condition × time interaction (P = 0.015). At 1 h post-exercise, PYY concentrations were higher after RAT than after FAT (ratio = 1.69, 95% CI 1.26–2.27; adjusted P < 0.001). PYY AUC was higher in RAT than in FAT (ratio [RAT/FAT] = 1.44; P = 0.016). Fullness AUC was lower after RAT than after FAT, whereas prospective food consumption AUC was higher after RAT than after FAT (Δ [RAT − FAT] = −670.0 and 701.4 mm·120 min; P = 0.014 and P = 0.016, respectively). No between-condition differences were observed in energy intake on the trial day or the following day. Varying the resistance component within combined exercise may elicit distinct acute hormonal and perceptual appetite responses in young men with obesity, without altering short-term energy intake. These findings should be interpreted as comparative responses between RAT and FAT rather than exercise-induced effects per se.