Role of physical activity, fitness and exercise on eating behavior in adults

Resumen

Appetite, eating behavior, and dietary intake are regulated by a complex neuropsychobiological system. Several physiological factors and both internal and external stimuli converge on food consumption and food preference, as well as the relationship with food. A dysregulation in this system can lead to physical health problems. It is of clinical interest to identify how the behavioral dimension of appetite control interacts with physical activity, fitness and exercise in adults. The aims of this Doctoral Thesis were: i) To examine the association between eating behavior traits and the time spent in physical activity of different intensities and sedentary behavior (study I); ii) To study the effect of a 6-month exercise intervention on eating behavior traits (study I); iii) To explore the association between eating behavior traits and physical fitness in young adults and (study II); iv) To validate the cultural adaptation of the Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire (LFPQ) in the Spanish population (study III). The results of section 1 show that binge eating, uncontrolled eating and emotional eating assessed by self-reported questionnaires are inversely related to sedentary behavior and directly associated with time spent in physical activity, objectively measured by triaxial accelerometry, in young healthy adults. However, these eating traits were not modified after a 6-month exercise training program of different intensities in this population (study I). Additionally, we found that poorer muscular strength is related to greater cognitive restraint, while greater cardiorespiratory fitness is associated with higher scores on binge eating and uncontrolled eating in young healthy adults (study II). On the other hand, in section 2, we have acquired a series of valid food images for use in future research on food reward in different contexts (study III). The results of this Doctoral Thesis contribute to the knowledge about the interaction of eating behavior in healthy young adults in the context of physical activity, fitness and exercise. In addition, it provides tools to improve an instrument for measuring food reward components in the Spanish population.