Fasting before exercising? Here’s why breakfast is so important
Ah, breakfast.
Our love/hate relationship with the first meal of the day is all too real.
However, this latest study has shown that chowing down in the morning before hitting a workout can "'prime" the body to burn carbs.
The findings also suggest that fuelling your workouts will allow the body to digest your post-workout meal much more efficiently.
The research was conducted by scientists from at Department for Health, in collaboration with experts from the universities of Birmingham, Newcastle and Stirling.
As many fitness junkies will know, fasting is becoming a hot trend amongst the Insta-fit population.
The scientists have taken note.
The researchers tested the blood glucose levels and muscle glycogen levels of the 12 healthy male volunteers who took part.
Participates were split into two groups, those who ate breakfast and those who were fasting overnight.
The scientists studied the volunteers before and after an hour’s cycle.
Those who ate brekkie were treated to porridge made with milk two hours before exercise.
The results were in and it's time to kick fasting to the curb.
Their evidence shows eating breakfast increases the rate at which the body burnt carbohydrates during exercise.
Furthermore, it boosts the rate at which the body digests and metabolises food eaten after exercise too.
Dr Javier Gonzalez, senior lecturer in the Department of Health who co-led the study, said:
“This is the first study to examine the ways in which breakfast before exercise influences our responses to meals after exercise.
"We found that, compared to skipping breakfast, eating breakfast before exercise increases the speed at which we digest, absorb and metabolise carbohydrate that we may eat after exercise.”
Rob Edinburgh, PhD student also in the Department who co-led the study, said:
“We also found that breakfast before exercise increases carbohydrate burning during exercise, and that this carbohydrate wasn't just coming from the breakfast that was just eaten, but also from carbohydrate stored in our muscles as glycogen.
"This increase in the use of muscle glycogen may explain why there was more rapid clearance of blood sugar after ‘lunch’ when breakfast had been consumed before exercise."
If this study is anything to go by, it's time to become well acquainted with breakfast again.
Nevertheless, my fellow fitness fans will know we are constantly bombarded with conflicting evidence.
This study shows that fasting before exercising can lead to burning extra fat during a session.
If you're undecided, it's best to speak to your doctor before embarking on a new diet or exercise plan.
