Acute effect of high-intensity interval exercise and moderate-intensity continuous exercise on appetite in overweight/obese males: a pilot study

Purpose: To compare the acute effects of high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity continuous exercise (MICE) on appetite perception in overweight/obese males. Methods: Ten overweight/obese participants were submitted to two experimental sessions with 7 day intervals in a randomized order: (1) HIIE: 10 × 60 s at ~90% of maximal heart rate (HRmax) interspersed by 60 s of passive recovery; (2) MICE: 20 min at ~65% of HRmax. Standardized breakfast was offered before the exercise sessions. Hunger, satiety, fullness, and prospective food consumption perception were assessed pre-exercise, immediately post-exercise, and 40 min post-exercise. Results: No change in hunger, satiety, and prospective food consumption post-exercise was observed in both exercise sessions (p > 0.05). Fullness increased immediately post-exercise following HIIE (p = 0.022, r = −0.38), but it was not different from the MICE and was not sustained after 40 min post-exercise (p > 0.05). Conclusion: HIIE and MICE did not modify appetite (i.e., hunger, satiety, and prospective food consumption perception) until 40 min post-exercise in overweight/obese males, despite a transient increase in fullness observed immediately after the HIIE. © 2017, Springer-Verlag Italia S.r.l.