The Impact of Exercise and Cumulative Physical Activity on Energy Intake and Diet Quality in Adults Enrolled in The Midwest Exercise Trial for The Prevention of Weight Regain.

The purpose of this study was to assess impact of different volumes of exercise as well as cumulative moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), on energy intake and diet quality, as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010), across a 12-month weight maintenance intervention. Participants were asked to attend group behavioral sessions, eat a diet designed for weight maintenance, and exercise either 150, 225, or 300 mins/week. Dietary intake was assessed by 3-day food records, and MVPA was assessed by accelerometry. Two hundred and twenty-four participants (42.5 years of age, 82% female) provided valid dietary data for at least one time point. There was no evidence of group differences in energy intake, total HEI-2010 score, or any of the HEI-2010 component scores (all p > 0.05). After adjusting for age, sex, time, group, and group-by-time interactions there was an effect of cumulative MVPA on energy intake (1.08, p = 0.04), total HEI-2010 scores (-0.02, p = 0.003), sodium (-0.006, p = 0.002) and empty calorie scores (-0.007, p = 0.004. There was evidence of a small relationship between cumulative daily EI and weight (β: 0.00187 95% CI 0.001, p= 0.003). However, there was no evidence for a relationship between HEI total score (β: -0.006, 95% CI -0.07-0.06) or component scores (all p > 0.05) and change in weight across time. The results of this study suggests that increased cumulative MVPA is associated with small, clinically insignificant, increases in energy intake and decreases in HEI scores.