- Using doubly labelled water, researchers found a positive linear relationship between physical activity and total daily energy expenditure across a wide range of activity levels.
- They did not find evidence that higher activity was matched by a compensatory drop in resting metabolic rate or key biomarkers after correction.
- It is observational and does not settle appetite effects, but it supports the idea that moving more genuinely adds to daily energy burn.
You may have heard the claim that the body “makes up for” exercise by slowing down elsewhere, meaning you do not really burn extra calories.
A new observational study challenges that idea.
Researchers measured total energy expenditure using doubly labelled water, one of the most reliable ways to estimate calories burned in free living conditions.
They also measured physical activity and tested whether people who moved more showed signs of physiological compensation, meaning the body reducing energy use in other systems.
The headline result was simple: higher physical activity was linked to higher total daily energy expenditure.
The relationship stayed positive whether the analysis was adjusted for fat free mass or not.
People who were more active also spent less time sedentary.
Importantly, the team did not see evidence that higher activity was paired with lower resting metabolic rate, or with consistent changes in immune, reproductive or thyroid biomarkers after strict statistical correction.
That does not mean exercise guarantees weight loss, because appetite can increase and food intake can drift up without people noticing.
It also does not mean compensation never happens in any scenario.
The authors themselves point out that under fuelling or extreme conditions may look different.
But this dataset does not support the popular idea that the body routinely “cancels out” your workout by downshifting your basic energy needs.
- Simple reflection exercises tackle procrastination
- Mediterranean-style diet paired with moderate exercise significantly reduces type 2 diabetes risk
For people with diabetes, the practical message is still the boring one: movement helps, and it is not wasted effort.
It can improve fitness, insulin sensitivity and cardiovascular risk, and it appears to add to daily energy burn rather than being automatically clawed back by the body.
Pairing activity with an eating pattern you can stick with remains the most realistic route to weight and glucose improvements.
