A recent study has revealed that increasing the duration of aerobic exercise leads to proportional reductions in body weight, waist circumference, and body fat percentage.
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Researchers from Imperial College London and Iranian universities, including Semnan University of Medical Sciences, published their findings in JAMA Network Open. The study highlights the measurable benefits of aerobic exercise for weight management.
They analyzed data from 116 randomized clinical trials involving 6,880 participants.
The study focused on overweight or obese adults who participated in supervised aerobic exercise programs lasting at least eight weeks. On average, participants were 46 years old, and 61% were women.
The findings are compelling: 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week resulted in an average weight loss of approximately 6 pounds (2.79 kg), a reduction in waist circumference of about 1.3 inches (3.26 cm), and a decrease in body fat percentage by 2.08%.
Increasing the duration to 300 minutes per week amplified these results, with participants losing an average of 9 pounds (4.19 kg), reducing their waist size by 1.6 inches (4.12 cm), and cutting body fat by 1.78%.
Moreover, every additional 30 minutes of weekly aerobic exercise was associated with a further reduction of 1.1 pounds (0.52 kg) in weight, 0.2 inches (0.56 cm) in waist size, and 0.37% in body fat percentage.
Over the past 45 years, global obesity rates have tripled, and more than half of adults worldwide are now considered overweight or obese.
According to the 2019 Global Burden of Disease Study, obesity is the leading risk factor for mortality-related diseases. Health experts typically recommend at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise per week for effective weight management.
Curious to understand the science behind these recommendations, the research team explored the ‘dose-response relationship’ between aerobic exercise and fat reduction.
Dr. Ahmed Zayed, co-lead author of the study, noted that their findings support the current guideline recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise weekly to achieve clinically significant improvements in waist circumference and body fat percentage.
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