Cafe Body

While both diet and exercise influence your body composition, a recent study indicates that there may be more to this fitness puzzle. According to this new research, your food choices can actually improve the effectiveness of your exercise sessions. And it’s not just the level of calories consumed that makes the difference, but rather the macronutrient breakdown.

The new research, published in the journal "Physiology & Behavior," investigated dietary changes over a three month period. The researchers had one group increase their intake of protein, while the other group served as a control and maintained their normal dietary intake.

At the beginning and the end of the study, both groups engaged in cardio sessions to assess how their bodies oxidized, or burned, fat. According to the results, the group that consumed the higher protein diet for three months burned a significantly higher amount of fat during the sessions.

And while you might expect that the increase in fat oxidation came merely from improvements in muscle mass – the high protein group had superior increases in lean body mass – the researchers explain that the increased fat oxidation occurred independently of changes in body composition.

Definite food for thought. Just make sure it’s high in protein.

SOURCE:

Physiology & Behavior. Protein intake induced an increase in exercise stimulated fat oxidation during stable body weight. S Soenen et al. December 2010

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