DIET COMPOSITION AND POSTEXERCISE ENERGY-BALANCE

This study was aimed at investigating the effect of exercise on energy balance under dietary conditions differing by the relative lipid content of foods. Nine healthy men performed a 60-min treadmill exercise followed by a 48-h observation period during which they maintained their habitual daily activities and had free access to either a low-fat, a mixed, or a high-fat diet. Energy balance, summing up the excess of energy expended during exercise and the 48-h postexercise energy balance, was -6.4, -4.5, and 0.9 MJ under low-fat, mixed, and high-fat diet conditions, respectively. These observations suggest that exercise can induce a substantial energy deficit when a lowfat diet conforming to nutritional recommendations is consumed after exercise. They also suggest that the increase in energy intake associated with a high-fat diet is sufficient to fully compensate for the energy deficit resulting from the energy cost of exercise and the increase in postexercise energy expenditure.