A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way

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A Little Exercise Goes a Long Way

Source: American Diabetes Association

Publication date: 2004-01-12

Thirty minutes of exercise goes a long way

By Katrina Woznicki

United Press International

January 12, 2004

Thirty minutes of daily moderate exercise may be all it takes to

prevent weight gain, according to a study released Monday that

contradicts earlier research recommending 60 minutes of activity a

day.

As Americans delve into their New Year's fitness resolutions, they

may discover they do not have to be in pain to gain. Researchers at

Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., found a half-hour of

walking every day, or about 10 to 12 miles per week, will offset

gradual weight gain from inactivity, and any further exercise leads

to additional loss of weight and body fat.

In 2002, the Institute of Medicine recommended exercising 60 minutes

each day for good health and weight loss.

The IOM's and other exercise recommendations are " confusing, " lead

researcher and exercise physiologist Cris Slentz told United Press

International. " That's one of the reasons why we did this study. "

The researchers took 120 sedentary individuals and randomly assigned

them to one of four groups:

--no exercise,

--low-dose moderate exercise or the equivalent of 12 miles of

walking per week,

--low-dose vigorous exercise or about 12 miles of jogging per week,

or

--high-dose vigorous exercise equivalent to 20 miles of jogging per

week.

The exercise was performed on treadmills, elliptical trainers or

cycle ergometers in supervised settings. The study required no

dietary changes.

Those in the no-exercise group showed a 1.1 percent weight gain

while everyone else showed varying degrees of weight loss, depending

on the amount of exercise they did. Those who did not exercise also

experienced an average 0.8-percent increase in their waist

measurement compared to waist decreases of 1.6 percent for the low-

dose moderate group, 1.4 percent for the low-dose vigorous group and

3.4 percent for the high-dose vigorous group.

When it came to body fat mass, the inactive group saw a 0.5-percent

increase while everyone who exercised experienced a drop: 2 percent

for the low-dose moderate group, 2.6 percent for the low-dose

vigorous group, and 4.9 percent for the high-dose group.

The study results suggest a little exercise goes a long way for

people who are looking to leave the sedentary lifestyle behind. The

findings are published in the Jan. 12 issue of Archives of Internal

Medicine.

" The people who remained inactive gained weight and that's not

surprising because that's what everybody in America is doing, "

Slentz said. " A calorie is a calorie. "

The important thing to remember is moderate exercise effectively

burns off calories, he added.

Slentz said the IOM recommendations were based on projected

calculations and did not provide the whole picture.

Tim Church, medical director of the Institute in Dallas, a

non-profit research and education center focused on preventive

medicine, agreed.

" The American College of Sports Medicine, the National Institutes of

Health, the Centers for Disease Control (and Prevention) and the

American Heart Association -- they all recommend 30 minutes a day,

five days a week, " Church told UPI. " IOM kind of pulled that 60

minutes a day out of thin air. It was a giant public disservice by

throwing it out there. There's just overwhelming evidence that 30

minutes a day is all it takes. "

Church cautioned, however, that by exercising " 30 minutes a day,

five days a week, you're probably not going to lose weight, " unless

you cut calories as well.

Nevertheless, overall health benefits are tremendous, even if

clothes do not feel any looser.

" Individuals who are fit but fat outlive individuals who are skinny

but sedentary. The bottom line is you don't have to lose weight to

benefit greatly from exercise, " Church said.

Liz Applegate, a fitness and nutrition professor at the University

of California at , said people were discouraged by the 60

minutes daily recommendation.

" The Duke study shows, 'Hey, (30 minutes) works,' " Applegate told

UPI. " It's more than just calorie burning. "

Applegate said the body has its own unique thermostat for

maintaining energy balances and control.

" If you take exercise out of picture, the thermostat just doesn't

work very well. A sedentary lifestyle is detrimental to your

health. "

Church said the new findings show a little moderate physical

activity could have big effects.

" It would change our whole healthcare system, " he said.

CDC figures show 61 percent of the entire U.S. population is either

clinically overweight or obese.

" We're not trying to make everyone marathon runners, " Church said,

adding that simple steps are key. " At lunch, you should walk to the

deli. Take your dog for a walk. It's just about physical activity. "

Publication date: 2004-01-12

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