A study that recently compared fat utilization after performing low and high-intensity cardio exercise has revealed that in the hours following the workout, intense exercise causes more effective utilization of dietary fat.
Most fat loss research is performed using obese individuals, and the findings have little relevance to lean, healthy athletes. In this study, the researchers chose to examine normal weight, moderately active subjects to establish the effect of exercise intensity on fat oxidation (fat burning). Tracers of two of the most common fatty acids in the U.S. diet, oleate, and palmitate were used to analyze dietary fat oxidation.
Seven female subjects (age 26 years) were required to visit the lab on three occasions for assessment. The participants performed bouts of low and high-intensity exercise on a stationary cycle as well as a “no exercise” session to determine baseline values.
Results showed that utilization of oleate was significantly greater for up to 11 hours after performing high-intensity exercise (49%) compared to both the low-intensity exercise (39%) and the rest trials (34%).
The results illustrate that the exercise intensity level a person performs at has a tremendous impact on fat utilization and therefore, fat loss. Can everyone say Max-OT Cardio?
So if you’re wondering about the best way to lose body fat, the results are clear, high-intensity cardio exercise burns more fat than low-intensity exercise.
Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise 35:1757-1765
