For years now, nutritionists have known that exercising on an empty stomach is likely to increase the amount of fat burned during a workout, but most of the studies leading to that conclusion involved serious athletes. Now, Science Daily reports, there comes a study from the University of Nottingham that found similar results with what the researchers call “sedentary people.”
The journal reports that during a post breakfasts exercise, fat oxidation was higher in subjects with a low glycemic index than in the those with a high glycemic index. Following
lunch, the researchers found, subjects in the low glycemic index group reported higher “fullness scores” than those in the high index group. The journal reports that the authors concluded that eating a breakfast that would produce a low glycemic index would fat oxidation in a post-breakfast workout, and would make people feel more satisfied when they are finished exercising–two good things. Read more in Science Daily.
What exactly should one eat to produce a low glycemic index? The official Glycemic Index website recommends breakfast cereals based on oats, barley and bran, breads with wholegrains, stone-ground flour, sour dough, and fruits and vegetable. Read more here.