Diet Without Exercise May be Harmful
by
Phil Campbell -
Ready, Set, Go! Synergy Fitness for Time
Crunched Adults
In a new
study, researchers show that people seeking to lose weight should select
exercise rather than calorie restriction alone to accomplish their weight loss
goals.
In a comparison of dieting verses exercise for weight loss,
individuals in both groups lost weight (10 percent of their body weight) but
the diet alone group lost some things they didn’t need to lose --
muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity.
The adults in the exercise group also lost
a significant amount of body weight, 10 percent. More importantly, at the end
of the study they had more muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity. Now
armed with a revved-up metabolism from building & toning muscle, and
increasing strength and aerobic capacity, study subjects in the exercise group
have positioned their bodies to continue receiving the positive benefits of
weight loss.
The lead researcher, Dr. Edward Weiss of Washington University School
of Medicine in St. Louis, was quoted, "If push comes to shove and somebody
wants to know if they should diet or exercise to lose weight, I would suggest
exercise… Exercise-induced weight loss provides the additional benefit of
improving physical performance capacity."
(Lower
extremity muscle size and strength and aerobic capacity decrease with caloric
restriction but not with exercise-induced weight loss. Weiss, 2007, Journal
of Applied Physiology, 2007 Feb;102(2):634-40. Epub 2006 Nov
9).
Women Need to
Know
In an earlier study, the Weiss research team demonstrated that
weight loss with diet also caused a loss in bone density in all the wrong
places. The researchers reported that clinically important sites of
fracture took the direct hit from diet alone weight loss method. They
concluded:
These data suggest that
exercise should be an important component of a weight loss program to offset
adverse effects of calorie restriction on bone.
(Bone mineral density
response to caloric restriction-induced weight loss or exercise-induced weight
loss: a randomized controlled trial. Weiss, 2006 Am J Clin Nutr. Dec
11-25;166(22):2502-10).
Even with this new study demonstrating the importance of exercise,
diet remains important in the fitness strategy for people seeking to lose
weight. Dr. Weiss said, “A critical requirement for exercise-induced
weight loss is that food intake does not increase.” So don’t let
these studies throw diet out-the-door.
Dieting can be an important component in this process, but adequate
sleep and exercise play important roles in a sound weight loss strategy.
Dieting without exercise can weaken bone at potential fracture sites in women,
and will reduce muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity, which results in a
sluggish metabolism.
Have a great
day!
Phil Campbell, M.S., M.A.
Author, Ready, Set, Go! Synergy
Fitness |
