Beneficial effects of exercise: shifting the focus from body weight to other markers of health.
BACKGROUND
Exercise is widely promoted as a method of weight management, while the other health benefits are often ignored. The purpose of this study was to examine whether exercise-induced improvements in health are influenced by changes in body weight.


METHODS
Fifty-eight sedentary overweight/obese men and women (BMI 31.8 (SD 4.5) kg/m(2)) participated in a 12-week supervised aerobic exercise intervention (70% heart rate max, five times a week, 500 kcal per session). Body composition, anthropometric parameters, aerobic capacity, blood pressure and acute psychological response to exercise were measured at weeks 0 and 12.


RESULTS
The mean reduction in body weight was -3.3 (3.63) kg (p<0.01). However, 26 of the 58 participants failed to attain the predicted weight loss estimated from individuals' exercise-induced energy expenditure. Their mean weight loss was only -0.9 (1.8) kg (p<0.01). Despite attaining a lower-than-predicted weight reduction, these individuals experienced significant increases in aerobic capacity (6.3 (6.0) ml/kg/min; p<0.01), and a decreased systolic (-6.00 (11.5) mm Hg; p<0.05) and diastolic blood pressure (-3.9 (5.8) mm Hg; p<0.01), waist circumference (-3.7 (2.7) cm; p<0.01) and resting heart rate (-4.8 (8.9) bpm, p<0.001). In addition, these individuals experienced an acute exercise-induced increase in positive mood.


CONCLUSIONS
These data demonstrate that significant and meaningful health benefits can be achieved even in the presence of lower-than-expected exercise-induced weight loss. A less successful reduction in body weight does not undermine the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise. From a public health perspective, exercise should be encouraged and the emphasis on weight loss reduced.
Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. n.king@qut.edu.au
N A
NA
King
M
M
Hopkins
P
P
Caudwell
R J
RJ
Stubbs
J E
JE
Blundell
D000339:Affect; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005081:Exercise Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D050177:Overweight / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D057185:Sedentary Behavior; D015431:Weight Loss