Effects of sex and menstrual cycle phase on postexercise appetite regulation

Moderate-intensity exercise interventions for weight loss are less effective in females, suggesting biological sex and fluctuations in menstrual cycle hormones may be involved. To date, no study has explored the postexercise appetite response between males, females in the follicular phase (FP), and females in the luteal phase (LP). To examine differences in appetite regulation in response to an acute bout of moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) between males, females in the FP, and females in the LP, males and FP and LP females (n = 14 per group; n = 42 total) completed a single bout of MICT (30 min, 70% V̇o_2max). Acylated ghrelin, active glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), and subjective appetite perceptions were measured preexercise and 0, 30, 60, and 120 min postexercise. Energy intake was assessed for a 3-day period (day before, of, after). There were no between-group differences in acylated ghrelin (P = 0.388, [Formula: see text] = 0.047) or active GLP-1 (P = 0.413, [Formula: see text] = 0.044). Subjective appetite was lower preexercise in males compared with both females in the FP (P = 0.087, d = 0.85) and LP (P = 0.013, d = 0.65) with no other between-group differences. Absolute energy intake was greater in males compared with females in the LP only (P = 0.032, [Formula: see text] = 0.111), however, when analyzed relative to body mass there were no between-group differences (P = 0.306, [Formula: see text]). There were no differences in the response to MICT for appetite-regulating hormones, subjective appetite, or energy intake between males or females in either phase. Further work should consider exploring appetite following high-intensity exercise to thoroughly investigate whether sex differences on hormonal and subjective appetite regulation are present.NEW & NOTEWORTHY This study examined whether biological sex or menstrual cycle phase influences appetite regulation after moderate-intensity continuous exercise. Despite lower preexercise appetite perceptions in males, postexercise responses in appetite-regulating hormones, subjective appetite, and energy intake did not differ between males and females in either the follicular or luteal phase. Findings suggest that moderate-intensity exercise elicits similar appetite outcomes between males and females across the menstrual cycle, though using higher-intensity exercise should be considered in future research.