Here's how fitness leads to better burning of fat

A team of sports nutrition experts recently suggested that healthy women tend to burn more fat when they exercise than men.

Results of a recent study by a team of sports nutrition experts indicated that healthy women tend to burn more fat when exercising compared to men. The research, which includes two new studies conducted by academics led by the Center for Nutrition, Exercise and Metabolism at the University of Bath, looked at factors that significantly affected people's ability to burn body fat during endurance sports.

How the body burns fat is important to all of us for good metabolic health, insulin sensitivity, and reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes. But for endurance sports, such as running or cycling, the way your body burns fat can make the difference between success and failure.

Previous research from the same team showed how, for endurance athletes competing in distance competitions, the body's carbohydrate stores are rapidly replenished when they exercise. This means that an athlete's ability to utilize fat stores for food becomes essential to its performance.

The first study, published in the International Journal of Sports Nutrition and Exercise Medicine, involved 73 healthy adults between the ages of 19 and 63 (41 men and 32 women). Test lifestyle and biological factors for optimal fat burning by asking participants to participate in a cycling fitness test and measure key indicators.

Their results found that women and those who were in better physical condition, across all age groups, burned fat more efficiently when exercising.

A second related article, published in Experimental Physiology, is at this point in step to explore the molecular factors in our muscles and adipose tissue that determine how fat is burned. This trial involved researchers who took fat and muscle biopsies from the participants to analyze how differences in protein in adipose and muscle tissues might affect their ability to burn fat.

It found that proteins in muscle that are involved in breaking down stored fats into smaller fatty acids and proteins involved in transporting those fatty acids to muscle mitochondria (the source of cell energy) are consistently associated with a greater ability to burn fat. However, the molecular factors explored did not explain why women burn more fat than men.

The lead author of both articles, Ole Krazanowski Smith from the University of Bath, explained: “Our study found that women tend to rely on fats as a source of energy during exercise more than men. Understanding the mechanisms behind these gender differences in fuel use may help Explain why it seems that being female It confers the metabolic advantage of insulin sensitivity, which is an important marker of metabolic health. "

The researchers note that the ability to burn fat for fuel appears to protect against future weight gain, ensuring good weight control. However, they caution that the body's ability to burn fat should not be equated with the ability to lose weight. Weight loss is mainly caused by a lack of energy (that is, we consume fewer calories than we spend). For weight loss, especially when people are overweight, they stress the importance of diet and exercise.

Dr Javier González, from the Department of Health at the University of Bath, added: “Weight control is primarily related to energy balance, so to lose weight, we need to eat fewer calories than we spend through metabolism and physical activity. They have a greater ability to burn fat for fuel and are somewhat protected from future weight gain, which could be related to how fat burning affects food and energy consumption.

"Ultimately, increasing the ability to burn fat for fuel has potential benefits for endurance athletes by delaying the time they run out of precious carbohydrate stores," Gonzalez added.