Murdoch University study reveals exercise lowers appetite by inducing same hormones used in weight loss drugs

A ground-breaking WA study has revealed that one hour of moderate exercise a day releases the same appetite-suppressing chemicals in the body as weight-loss injections such as Ozempic.

The Murdoch University study assessed food intake and appetite as well as changes in the hormones that help regulate hunger.

It showed that exercise released several hormones including GLP-1 — the same hormone used in weight-loss drugs like the uber-popular Ozempic.

“This hormone is released from your intestine or from your gut and one of the functions of that hormone specifically is to shut down your appetite,” Murdoch University study author Timothy Fairchild told The West Australian.

“There are three ways to stimulate this hormone — one is to eat food and another one is to inject the chemical using some sort of medication and then the third way is to exercise.

“Despite a strong focus on weight-loss drugs in society at present, this study shows that lifestyle factors still have a strong and relevant role in helping people to live their healthiest lives.

“The added benefit of exercise is that you also receive the additional physical and mental health benefits of exercise.”

The research at Murdoch University’s Health Futures Institute studied the acute effect of exercise on appetite in males with obesity, through a trial of how the participants’ hunger reacted to an hour of moderate exercise on a bike.

Associate Professor Fairchild said the study had confirmed previous work highlighting the benefits of incorporating regular exercise into daily routines to manage weight.

“There is a perception that a lot of weight-loss interventions that use exercise are unsuccessful and the reason for that being that when you exercise, you get hungry afterwards, and you just consume all the calories, all the energy that you just burnt,” he said.

“We did some work investigating this and what we found is that it’s actually not correct.

“If you’re running hard, or your body’s really pushed really hard, you actually end up suppressing your appetite in the acute period — for the first few hours after exercise.”

Associate Professor Fairchild said the Health Futures Institute’s research also revealed that different exercises led to different amounts of appetite-suppressing hormones to be released.

“We generally find that the exercises that cause more impact or higher impact generally suppress appetite to a greater degree,” he said.

“The No.1 lesson would be to exercise as often and more frequently as possible to get that hit of this appetite suppressing hormones.”

The firm behind Ozempic, Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, has a market capitalisation of $621 billion, making it the 12th most valuable company in the world.

Ozempic is a brand of medicine called semaglutide, which has been hit by supply issues as worldwide demand skyrocketed.

Recently, the company issued a warning in Australia that supplies would remain limited until at least December 2025.

The drug started life as a treatment for type 2 diabetes but now is being hailed as a miracle treatment for weight loss, particularly by many influential celebrities.