Fit Vs. Fat: New Research Sheds Light On Debate
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – Weight loss doesn’t equal true fitness, says a new study in the January issue of the journal of the American College of Sports Medicine., Thirty-six overweight non-obese adults participate in one of three programs: diet alone, diet plus exercise, or a weight-maintenance program (control group). Over six months, the diet-only and weight maintenance groups were instructed not to change their physical activity regimens.
Although both the diet and diet-plus-exercise groups lost weight during the course of the study – about 10 percent of total body weight – only the exercising individuals improved their internal fitness in addition to their waistlines.
“We saw marked improvements in cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, insulin sensitivity and cholesterol levels in the individuals who regularly exercised,” says Enette Larson-Meyer, Ph.D., R.D., FACSM.
The study’s findings closely align with ACSM’s Exercise is MedicineÔ program, which calls on health care providers to include physical activity as a standard part of health care. Doing so, Larson-Meyer says, will yield a far greater return than simply dropping a jean size.
“Weight loss was a nice ‘side effect’ for these patients – but it’s the internal health improvements that will be most important to exercisers in the long run.”
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