Exercise: An appetite suppressant as well as calorie burner

Exercise does not only help people to achieve their weight loss goals by burning calories, it also reduces appetite, a study has shown.

Researchers from the University of Campinas in Brazil found that physical activity restores the sensitivity of neurons involved in the control of hunger.

This means that people feel full more quickly after they have exercised and, therefore, do not each as much, which can lead to weight loss.

"In obese animals, exercise increased IL-6 and IL-10 protein levels in the hypothalamus, and these molecules were crucial for increasing the sensitivity of the most important hormones, insulin and leptin, which control appetite," said Jose Barreto Carvalheira, who led the study.

The findings will be published in the online open access journal PLoS Biology next week.

Earlier this week, researchers from Virginia Tech University found that just two eight-ounce glasses of plain water, consumed before meals, suppress the appetite and enable people to lose weight.

Do these studies fill you with more hope about reaching your weight loss targets?