Will you lose weight faster if you do "moderate-intensity exercise" at 7 a.m.? Research confirms: BMI and waist circumference have the largest decreases
The academic community has not yet reached a conclusion on the optimal time for weight loss, but recent literature published in the journal “Obesity” supports that “morning exercise” may be the most beneficial time period for weight loss. Research results show that those who perform “moderate to high-intensity exercise” (MVPA) between 7 and 9 in the morning have significantly lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those who exercise at other times.
Will you lose weight faster if you do “moderate-intensity exercise” in the morning? Research confirms: BMI and waist circumference have the largest decreases
The research was initiated by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Franklin Pierce University in the United States. The research team conducted a cross-sectional analysis on a total of 5,285 subjects from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States. The research team divided the subjects into three categories by adopting moderate-intensity day and night patterns: morning (642 people), noon (2456 people); and evening (2187 people).
After controlling for variables such as age, gender, race, education, smoking, drinking, and sitting for long periods of time, the study found that compared with the other two groups, the morning group had lower BMI and waist circumference. The adjusted average BMI of the morning, noon and evening groups were 27.4, 28.4 and 28.2 kg/m2 respectively; the waist circumferences were 95.9, 97.9 and 97.3 cm respectively. Adjustment for diet quality and calorie intake did not change the strength of this association.
In addition, the eating habits of subjects in the morning group were generally better. According to the subjects’ self-reports, the morning group consumed less energy per unit of body weight per day than the other groups, and had lower body mass index and waist circumference; and members of the morning group were generally 10 to 13 years older than members of the other two groups. Among the 3 groups, the morning group contained the majority of female subjects.
Could morning exercise offset the effects of prolonged sitting? Experts say exercise starting at 7 a.m. is most effective
In a cross-sectional study measuring moderate-intensity exercise and obesity indicators (i.e., BMI and waist circumference), the research team further found that the morning group was most active between 7 and 9 a.m.; the midday group was mainly active during normal work Time (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), peak exercise period is 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. In the evening group, the exercise gradually increased between 7 pm and 5 pm, and the peak period of exercise occurred between 5 pm and 8 pm.
In linear regression analyses, we found that circadian patterns of moderate to high-intensity exercise influenced the beneficial association with obesity. In the midday or evening clusters, there was little further reduction in BMI and waist circumference beyond the 150 minutes per week recommended by physical activity guidelines; conversely, in the morning group, there was a linear correlation between moderate-intensity exercise and obesity, with BMI and waist circumference have continued to decline.
“Another interesting finding of the study is that participants in the morning group spent significantly more time on sedentary behaviors than subjects in the other groups.” Study author Tongyu Ma said that although the morning group had longer sedentary time , and the team made statistical adjustments for sedentary time, but the good BMI and waist circumference index results in the morning group still existed.
Does morning exercise help protect the heart and prevent stroke? Dutch exposure: Exercise between 8 and 11 a.m. is most beneficial!
In addition to the potential to help with weight loss, morning exercise can even protect the heart and prevent strokes? The Leiden University Medical Center in the Netherlands analyzed data from 86,657 people from the UK Biobank. The average age fell around 62 years old, and about 58% of them were women. After 6 years of random interviews, the research team captured the subjects’ daily exercise time and its impact on cardiovascular disease. After six years, 2,911 subjects had developed coronary artery disease and 796 subjects had suffered a stroke.
Research results show that among people with cardiovascular disease, those who exercise between 8 and 11 a.m. have a 16% lower risk of coronary artery disease, a 17% lower risk of stroke, and a 21% lower risk of ischemic stroke. In this study, women benefited more from morning exercise, with their risk of coronary heart disease reduced by 24%. Morning exercise can still improve cardiovascular health in men, but the effect does not appear to be as significant as in women.
In addition, research also points out that morning exercise behavior is also related to the metabolic health, decreased BMI, blood sugar stability and increased insulin sensitivity of the elderly, which may help improve or prevent the occurrence of diabetes. Gali Albalak, study author and MD of Leiden University in the Netherlands, said that this study is the largest prospective study to date, and combined with data from the British Biobank, it helps to clarify the cardiovascular benefits of morning exercise.
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