Keeping fit does not just help you burn calories – it helps you resist temptation, British researchers have revealed.
People who are fit somehow, instinctively, understand which foods contain the most fat, according to Leeds University researchers.
The conclusions emerged after researchers undertook a 12 week exercise programme with obese people with a view to getting them to lose weight.
The researchers have also been studying how people select food. This showed that lean people are better at picking lean food – while obese people tend to measure food by quantity rather than content.
This means that obese people may consume food that is dense in fat and calories.
And, sure enough, as the obese people became fitter they showed "progressive reduction" in the amount of high fat food they chose to eat, the researchers found.
Researcher Catherine Gibbons reported her findings to the conference of the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Glasgow University, Scotland.
She reported: "Exercise is therefore having a beneficial effect on dietary behaviour by helping people reduce the intake of high risk, bodyweight-increasing foods.
"When people engage in regular exercise fat intake is better regulated and consequently these people move towards a healthier diet."
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