A research conducted by experts at the University of California, Irvine has suggested that performing exercises in the morning is more beneficial than doing physical activities in the evening.
The research report stated that daily timing is a critical variable for metabolic benefits from exercise and implications in chronobiology. Researchers have earlier found that the timing of food intake has direct impacts on determining the effects of exercise and this new research report revealed that the timing of exercise also has its impact on its effectiveness.
"Using mice, we compared the impact of exercise on the skeletal muscle metabolism at different times of the day. We discovered that exercising at the correct time of day - around mid-morning - results in more oxygen in the cells and a more rejuvenating effect on the body," said Paolo Sassone-Corsi, Ph.D., Donald Bren Professor and director of the Center for Epigenetics and Metabolism at UCI's School of Medicine in a recent statement.
During the study, researchers determined the effects of exercise on mice in various timings. Doing exercises in the morning resulted in the higher utilization of carbohydrates and ketone bodies. Morning exercises also catalyzed the breakdown of fats and amino acids, and it was much higher when doing physical activities in the evening.
"Exercise stimulates metabolism, leading to the improvement of metabolic health. While the metabolic benefits from exercise have been extensively uncovered, the question of when it is appropriate to exercise has remained virtually unexplored. Our results clearly indicate that time-of-day is a critical factor to amplify the beneficial impact of exercise on both metabolic pathways within skeletal muscle and systemic energy homeostasis," added Paolo Sassone-Corsi.
A few months back, another study conducted by researchers at the St George's University, Grenada had found that static exercises like weightlifting are more beneficial than dynamic physical activities like running to maintain good heart health. This research report contradicted with the popular assumption that dynamic activities like running and walking are more beneficial than static exercises.
The study was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.
