Snack foods can vary considerably in nutrient and energy density, which can alter the impact of the snack on energy balance and health outcomes. Thus, snacking may influence energy balance and markers of cardiometabolic health. Snacking has increased during the past 50 years and may contribute to excess energy intake and adversely affect diet quality (Bellisle, 2014 Mattes, 2018). Consumption of the donuts may have prevented the expected improvement in FMD with HIIT. We conclude that in physically inactive men with BMI ≥25 kg/m 2, consuming ~14,500 kcal as donuts over 4 weeks did not adversely affect body weight and body fat, or several markers of cardiometabolic risk. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was not changed in any group. Glucose incremental area under the curve during an oral glucose tolerance test was reduced by 25.6% in control ( p = 0.001) and 32.8% in MICT ( p = 0.01) groups. Fasting blood pressure, and blood concentrations of glucose, insulin, and lipids were unchanged in all groups. Large inter-individual variability in changes in body weight, fat, and fat-free mass was evident in all groups. This was partially explained by a decrease in self-reported habitual energy (−239 kcal/day, p = 0.05) and carbohydrate (−47 g/day p = 0.02) intake. Controls did not increase body weight, body fat, or visceral abdominal fat. Exercise training occurred 4 days/week, ~250 kcal/session. Men were randomly assigned to control ( n = 9), moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT n = 9), or high-intensity interval training (HIIT n = 10). Twenty-eight physically inactive men (ages 19–47 yr) with body mass index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m 2 consumed 48 donuts (2/day, 6 days/week ~14,500 kcal total) for 4 weeks while maintaining habitual diet. We hypothesized that exercise training would prevent gains in body weight and body fat, and worsening of cardiometabolic risk markers, during a 4-week period of indulgent food snacking in overweight/obese men.

Monark snacks