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Two recent studies are helping to explain the benefits of exercise and its ability to control your hunger cravings—a hot topic given the popularity of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic. These drugs help to quiet "food noise" in your brain and regulate hormones related to your appetite, but researchers are reminding the public that exercise has been, and will continue to be, a natural way to curb cravings. However, it's not an equal solution for all.

In fact, these new findings suggest that men and women experience different effects from exercise: While moderate-intensity workouts appear to adequately suppress hunger in men, studies are showing that, unfortunately, women may need to push harder to achieve the same benefits. Let's unpack the research.

RELATED: 8 Celebs Who've Admitted to Using Ozempic

Exercise vs. Hunger: What the Science Says

A new study published in December 2024 in the journal Physiological Reports found that moderate-intensity exercise (think: brisk walking, dancing, or swimming laps) can positively impact appetite-regulating hormones in men with obesity.

While previous research has zeroed in on gastrointestinal hormones, this study was the first to look at how interleukin-7 (IL-7), an immune-regulating protein, and other hormones might be involved in appetite suppression. The results revealed that, even without extreme effort, exercising led to an increased suppression of some of these hormones in the study subjects.

“This shows that even moderate-intensity exercise can have immediate and beneficial effects on appetite control in males with obesity," explained study author Timothy Fairchild, an Associate Professor from Murdoch University’s Health Futures Institute School of Allied Health.

He was quick to point out how the effects are similar to those of popular weight-loss drugs like Ozempic.

“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 life," Fairchild said in a press release. "In fact, the hormones which have been shown to increase after exercise are the same hormones which the most successful weight loss drugs are mimicking."

That's great news for men who exercise for its weight-loss benefits. But what about women?

Why Exercise Intensity Matters—Especially for Women

A different study published in November 2024 in the Journal of the Endocrine Society looked specifically at the role of exercise and its appetite-suppressing effects in men versus women. It examined the hunger hormone ghrelin, which women naturally have in higher levels than men, making food noise and cravings arguably "louder."

This was the first study of its kind to put ghrelin in both sexes to the test with three different types of activity: no exercise, moderate exercise, and high-intensity exercise (like sprinting or jumping rope, where movement feels challenging).

The results suggest that high-intensity exercise is the most effective at suppressing ghrelin levels in both men and women, and study participants reported feeling less hungry after such movement. However, moderate-intensity exercise failed to have the same effect in women.

In fact, the women in the study reported feeling hungrier after moderate exercises compared to not exercising at all.

“We found that moderate intensity either did not change ghrelin levels or led to a net increase,” the study authors wrote.

Meaning: High-intensity exercise helps regulate appetite in both men and women, but moderate-intensity exercise may only quiet food cravings in men, so women have to work harder to reap the same benefits.

Related: 6 Best Walking Workouts for Weight Loss

The Takeaway: A Personalized Approach to Appetite Control

It's important to note that these were small studies and there's much more research to be done in this area.

Still, these studies highlight the powerful role that exercise plays in naturally controlling your appetite. For those looking for a drug-free weight-loss method, hitting the gym or picking up a new physical activity could be an effective method. And, whether through moderate or high-intensity workouts, it's clear that staying active is a key factor in achieving overall health and wellness.

That said, it's important to understand your own body and its needs, and how those may differ from, say, your partner or a workout buddy. Science is showing that it's important to tailor your exercise habits and intensity to what your body is capable of and the results you're looking to achieve. For this reason, it's best to consult with a pro for the best course of action.

A FIRE has broken out just outside the Etihad in front of thousands of fans only hours before Manchester City’s Champions League clash.

The Premier League champions host Club Brugge needing a win to guarantee qualification into the knockout stages.

But footage just hours before kick-off showed a merchandise van outside the stadium on fire.

Fire trucks were seen also rushing to the scene as thousands of fans looked on in shock.

MORE TO FOLLOW

THE UK’S “best service station” is set to close in hours – and any drivers still parked inside will have to be “escorted out”.

Gloucester Services, on the M5 northbound, will shut from 8pm until 6am tomorrow, according to National Highways.

Alamy

Alamy

Drainage survey work will be carried out between Junctions 12 and 11A overnight.

Drivers were warned if their cars are still parked at the services by 8pm tonight they will have to be “escorted” away.

A spokesman said: “Northbound Gloucester Services will be closed for drainage surveys (traffic already within the service area wishing to exist will be escorted).”

The site, which has developed a cult following among drivers, is regularly ranked as one of the UK’s best motorway services.

Famous for its farm shop, restaurant, and scenic surroundings, it attracts motorists who go out of their way to visit.

One social media user wrote: “I go out of my way to go there.”

A second chimed in: “A touch of class.”

Another user commented on a video tour of the services, recalling how they did their entire Christmas shop there, and added: “With venison sausages… sourdough bread… and prepared pheasants with stuffing.”

While the northbound side of the services will be closed overnight, the southbound side remains open as usual.

Drivers planning to stop on the northbound M5 tonight will need to find an alternative or plan ahead to avoid disappointment.

Gloucester Services, a sister site to the equally popular Tebay Services in Cumbria, is unlike your average motorway stop.

With its grass-roofed buildings, picturesque lake, and high-end food offering, it has been hailed as a touch of class compared to the usual dreary pit stops.

Even the car park has immaculately maintained grass verges at the end of each set of bays, as well as a line of trees planted down the middle.

A babbling stream runs into the lake that sits out the front of the restaurant, populated by families of ducks and stretching right up to the gravel bank where customers sit at wooden tables.

Large panoramic windows enable a spectacular view of the English countryside in all its glory, especially on sunny days.

The interior incorporates varnished wooden beams and pillars throughout, with mezzanine-style tiling on the wales and a vast skylight to give it a light and airy feel.

Even dogs are welcome inside, while owners can enjoy a woodland walk to break up their journey.

Outdoor diners can also enjoy the view of a well-kept large duck pond, fed by a babbling brook, at the rear of the building, or sit in a sheltered booth at the front.

Vegans and vegetarians are also catered for, with meals including sweet potato and chickpea tagine, and mac and cheese.

For kids, there’s a fabulous play area made entirely from wood to help burn off the energy of children who’ve been trapped in a car for too long.

It comes after the UK’s most expensive personalised number plates for 2023 were revealed – with the priciest breaking £120,000.

YouTube / FWP Ltd

Alamy

A SINGLE mother has opened up about being homeless and unemployed as she received life-changing help.

Amy, from Belfast, who supports her 12-year-old daughter Phoebe on just  £60 a week, after being signed off work due to anxiety.

Channel 5

Channel 5

But now she has appeared on Channel 5‘s Rich House Poor House and was seen sobbing after receiving help.

The single mum switched lives with a pair of beauty aestheticians – who admitted they burned through ‘thousands and thousands’ each week, on this week’s episode airing on Sunday.

The Channel 5 episode revealed the emotional moment that wealthy businesswomen, Michelle and Liz, promised to help single mother, Amy get back to work after a bout of ill health left her relying on benefits. 

The self-made businesswomen Michelle and Liz who are best friends and colleagues, said they grew their business from the ground by ‘working 24/7’.

Michelle, who lived in her luxury house in Lisburn near Belfast, helped Amy during the show.

The two friends run an aesthetics clinic in Belfast, which also offers discounted procedures to women who’ve suffered domestic abuse or illness.

Meanwhile, just a few miles away in Newtown Abbey, Amy lived in a housing association flat struggling to even afford the basics for her and her daughter.

The single mum has just £60 a week to spare, leaving her and her daughter to live without flooring in their hall or living room. 

Despite living off of benefits, Amy was desperate to get back to earning a living but struggled with a lack of confidence, having been signed off from work due to anxiety a few years earlier.

She previously worked in retail during the pandemic but was forced to quit amid mental health struggles along with 2.3 million people who signed off of work for health reasons in the wake of Covid.

Channel 5

Prior to the swap, Michelle described herself as someone who ‘likes to shop’.

The businesswoman showed off a glamorous walk-in-wardrobe containing 50-60 pairs of shoes and multiple designer handbags. 

She and business partner Liz admitted they enjoyed ‘the finer things’ including ‘nice holidays, handbags, and shoes’.

“Being in a job you love is vital, it makes you want more, it makes you want to improve and grow,” she said.

Describing what she hoped to achieve during the swap, Liz said: “To offer confidence to someone who is maybe lacking in confidence.”

Michelle seconded the wish to support an individual ‘struggling to realise their own dreams and ambitions.’ 

When the swap took place, the businesswomen were stunned by the weekly budget admitting they would spend more than £60 on just one meal out.

In their welcome note, Amy apologised for the ‘lack of living room and hall carpet’, adding that they hoped the pair felt ‘at home’ regardless.

When Amy opened her envelope with her weekly budget of £1,600 she was shocked to see the budget 25 times her usual spending limit, Amy said seeing the cash in real life didn’t ‘feel real’.

On the first night of the swap, Amy and her daughter tucked into a tasty £50 takeaway, while the aestheticians made do with some freezer fish fingers. 

After the first night in Amy’s house, Michelle and Liz complained of feeling ‘freezing’ and ‘unsafe’.

Trying to make a positive start to the swap, the beauty experts headed to the shops to buy food for the week – but swiftly chomped through nearly half their budget.

“I don’t know how they’re surviving with such little money, it’s really scary,” said Michelle. 

Later, Amy spoke with a friend of Michelle’s, where she discovered that the two weren’t so different.

The business woman hadn’t always lived the high life and was also a single mother of two who experiences poverty in the past.

On the other side of the divide, a candid conversation with Amy’s brother, Brian, revealed to Michelle and Liz that Amy and her daughter had spent four months homeless.

Brain said the mother and daughter duo had spent the time living with him and that the mother had slept on his floor – despite his best efforts to give her the bed. 

During the swap, Amy and her daughter got a taste of the high life visiting beauty salons, the theatre and day out zip wiring.

The beauty workers also wanted to help Amy get back into work and organised her a trial shift as a receptionist at their salon.

Despite her past experiences with anxiety, Amy excelled in the trial, with a worker at Michelle’s clinic calling the aesthetician to inform her that things had gone well and that the mother had been a natural.

Michelle and Liz were also keen to help Amy make her home more liveable and insisted a carpet is ‘a need not a want’, and swiftly arranged for a new one to be installed.

They even transformed their living room with a new set of furniture. “I really want them to have a home that’s warm and cosy,” Michelle said. 

When the women finally met at the end of the week, they shared a tender moment where Michelle told Amy that she would be ready to talk about offering her a job when she was ready.  

Michelle told Amy that her staff ‘couldn’t speak highly enough’ of her and that ‘it takes a certain kind of soul to be able to sit and take a call and talk to people when they’re feeling vulnerable’.

The mother-of-one broke down in tears upon hearing the news, and jumped up to give both women a bus.

And that wasn’t all. When Amy and Phoebe arrived home to their brand new living room, they were both hit with another shock as they discovered they’d been given a brand new carpet and furniture. 

“It a completely different living room,” said Amy in another emotional moment. 

“Absolutely gorgeous, I was not expecting any of this,’ she added. ‘This is unbelievable.”

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