Many people wonder if they should eat breakfast before working out or hold off on consuming calories until after exercise. Recent research by the University’s Department for Health at the universities of Birmingham, Newcastle, and Stirling has shown that the pre-workout breakfast can actually increase post meal glucose utilization.

In this study, 12 healthy males were given a control breakfast and were required to rest for three hours prior to exercise. Blood glucose levels and muscle glycogen levels were then tested post exercise and rest. Researchers found that consuming breakfast actually made the body more effective at burning carbohydrates during exercise, “as well as increasing the rate the body digested and metabolised food eaten after exercise too.”

They compared the results to participants who skipped breakfast. The researchers found that fasting before exercise actually had the opposite effect and made the body far less efficient at burning carbohydrates during exercise. Researchers also discovered that the subjects were not only burning carbohydrates from their breakfast but from their muscle glycogen stores as well. This provides explanation for why there is rapid clearance of blood sugar after lunch.

This study has only assessed short term effects. Therefore, further research must be performed to discover long term implications. 

To learn more about carbohydrate metabolism, visit Eating breakfast burns more carbs during exercise and accelerates metabolism for next meal.

Contributed by Sofia Sepulveda