{"id":182402,"date":"2021-03-25T11:18:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-25T11:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=182402"},"modified":"2021-03-25T11:18:08","modified_gmt":"2021-03-25T11:18:08","slug":"which-is-more-important-exercise-or-weight-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2021\/03\/25\/which-is-more-important-exercise-or-weight-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Which Is More Important \u2013 Exercise or Weight Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Is it more important to stay physically active and fit \u2013 or slim down to your ideal weight? A new study set out to compare the effects of extra bodyweight and physical activity on your health. Let\u2019s see what it means for you.<\/strong><\/p>\n


\nPrevious research suggests that being fit might mitigate the negative effects of excess body weight on heart health.<\/a> “This has led to controversial proposals for health policies to prioritise physical activity and fitness above weight loss. Our study sought to clarify the links between activity, body weight, and heart health,” said study author Dr Alejandro Lucia of the European University, Madrid, Spain.<\/p>\n

\"Running<\/a>
Good adherence to a healthy diet is associated with a lower risk of heart disease. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Weight, activity, and heart health measured<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Researchers used data<\/a> from 527,662 working adults from Spain, the average age of participants was 42 years and 32% were women. They used the body mass index (BMI) to evaluate body weight. Physical activity was compared to the 150 minutes of activity per week that the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends. And cardiovascular health was determined by three major risk factors: diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

There were three categories based on weight:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Normal weight (BMI 20-24,9) \u2013 42% of participants
\n\u2022 Overweight (BMI 25-29.9) \u2013 41% of participants
\n\u2022 Obese with (BMI 30 or more) \u2013 18% of participants<\/p>\n

And three categories based on activity level:<\/p>\n

\u2022 Regularly active, doing the WHO minimum or more \u2013 24% of participants
\n\u2022 Insufficiently active, doing less than the WHO minimum \u2013 12% of participants
\n\u2022 Inactive, no exercise \u2013 64% of participants<\/p>\n

\"Exercise\"<\/a>
The more physical activity, the better. \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everyone should be physically active<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The researchers found that any activity, whether it met the WHO minimum or not, was linked with a lower likelihood of diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol compared to no exercise at all. And this was true for all three bodyweight groups.
\n\u201cThis tells us that everyone, irrespective of their body weight, should be physically active to safeguard their health. At all weights, the odds of diabetes and hypertension decreased as physical activity rose. More activity is better, so walking 30 minutes per day is better than walking 15 minutes a day,\u201d Dr Alejandro Lucia said.<\/p>\n

Overweight and obese at greater risk even if exercising<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Unfortunately, this study presented another more troubling finding. Physically active obese people were approximately two times as likely to have high cholesterol, four times more likely to have diabetes<\/a>, and five times more likely to have high blood pressure when compared to inactive individuals.<\/p>\n

\"Empty<\/a>
“The prevalence of overweight and obesity has reached pandemic proportions, and people with these conditions present with an increased cardiometabolic risk.” \u00a9 Profimedia<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cExercise does not seem to compensate for the negative effects of excess weight. This finding was also observed overall in both men and women when they were analysed separately,\u201d said Dr Lucia.<\/p>\n

Fighting obesity and inactivity is equally important<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThis was the first nationwide analysis to show that being regularly active is not likely to eliminate the detrimental health effects of excess body fat.<\/a> Our findings refute the notion that a physically active lifestyle can completely negate the deleterious effects of overweight and obesity. Fighting obesity and inactivity is equally important. It should be a joint battle. Weight loss should remain a primary target for health policies together with promoting active lifestyles,” Dr Lucia concludes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is it more important to stay physically active and fit \u2013 or slim down to your ideal weight? A new […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":182405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[332],"tags":[5076,5077,5073,5074,5071,5072,5075],"global-categories":[3366],"class_list":["post-182402","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-and-training","tag-bmi","tag-body-mass-index","tag-dr-alejandro-lucia","tag-european-university","tag-exercise-or-weight-loss","tag-obesity","tag-world-health-organization","global-categories-cycling"],"yoast_head":"\nWhich Is More Important \u2013 Exercise or Weight Loss? - \u0160koda We Love Cycling<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Is it more important to stay physically active and fit \u2013 or slim down to your ideal weight? 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