Not all exercise burns fat equally.

Have you accepted this truism: that the more physically active you are, the less likely you are to gain weight? Here is the catch: not all exercise is equally effective when it comes to burning fat. The good news is you don't have to exercise for several hours a day to make a difference.

The reviewed research is very interesting and the results may surprise you. Healthy young men were divided into three groups: one control group did not exercise, one group did moderate intensity exercise at 50 percent Vo2peak for 60 minutes, and one group did high intensity exercise, alternating 2 minutes at 90 percent Vo2peak with 2 minutes at 25 percent Vo2peak(Trombold JR, et.al.,2013). The energy expenditure was the same for both exercise groups.

The participants were provided a test meal the morning after the exercises. Tests were performed fasting before the meal, and 2, 4, and 6 hours after the meal.

The results showed that even if the participant had similar energy expenditures the high intensity exercise was more effective in lowering triglycerides after the meal. The high intensity was also more effective in increasing fat oxidation which means the high intensity exercise burned more fat. 

Trombold JR, Christmas KM, Machin DR, Kim IY, Coyle EF  Acute high-intensity endurance exercise is more effective than moderate-intensity exercise for attenuation of postprandial triglyceride elevation. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2013 Mar 15;114(6):792-800. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.01028.2012. Epub 2013 Jan 31.

Published with permission by Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac : www.TissueRecovery.com
Dr. Marsh has worked with and referrers patients to Dr. Sopler for co-management for years . . . He is quite simply San Diego's top functional medicine consultant.