Limiting mealtimes increases motivation for exercise: Study

Tokyo: Limiting access to food might increase levels of hormone – ghrelin, which might also increase your motivation to exercise, said a new research.
The study, published in the Journal of Endocrinology suggested that a surge in levels of the appetite-promoting hormone – ghrelin, after a period of fasting prompted mice to initiate voluntary exercise.
These novel findings indicate that better diet control, for example limiting food intake to mealtimes or fasting intermittently, could help overweight people maintain a more effective exercise routine, lose weight and avoid debilitating complications such as diabetes and heart disease.
“Our findings suggest that hunger, which promotes ghrelin production, may also be involved in increasing motivation for voluntary exercise when feeding is limited,” said author Yuji Tajiri from the Kurume University in Japan.
“Therefore, maintaining a healthy eating routine, with regular mealtimes or fasting, could also encourage motivation for exercise in overweight people,” Tajiri said.
Ghrelin, often referred to as the ‘hunger hormone’, stimulates appetite through actions on the brain reward circuitry that increases motivation to eat.