Vigorous exercise and the population distribution of bodyweight
Background: While the benefits of vigorous exercise on body weight and regional adiposity are well established, whether these benefits affect equally the highest and lowest portions of the weight distribution has not been previously reported. The impact of exercise on the more extreme body weights and body circumferences is clinically important because these values represent individuals at greatest health risk. Method: We divided self-reported weights and body circumferences from a cross-sectional sample of 7,288 male and 2,359 female runners into five strata according to the distances run per week and within each stratum determined the 5th, 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th, and 95th percentiles. Then Least-squares regression was then employed at each percentile to determine the dose-response relationship between running distance and adiposity. Results: Per kilometer run per week, the associated decline for body mass index (BMI) was three-fold greater at the 95th than at the 5th percentile in men, and nine-fold greater at the 95th than the 5th percentile in women (all P<0.001). Reported waist circumference also declined more sharply at the 95th percentile than at the 5th percentile in men (-0.13/261 0.02 versus -0.06 plus or minus 0.01 cm per km/wk) and women (-0.18 plus or minus 0.04 versus -0.05 plusor minus 0.01 cm per km/wk). In women, both hip and chest circumferences declined more sharply per kilometer run at the 95th percentile than at the 5th percentile. Conclusions: These results support the hypothesis that running promotes the greatest weight loss specifically in those individuals who have the most to gain from losing weight. Comparisons based on average BMI or average body circumferences are likely to underestimate the health benefits of running because of the J-shaped relationship between adiposity and mortality. Whether the observed associations are primarily due to exercise-induced weight loss or self-selection remains to be determined.
- Research Organization:
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- National Institutes of Health
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 893743
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL--51501; BnR: 400412000
- Journal Information:
- International Journal of Obesity, Journal Name: International Journal of Obesity Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 28
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Relationships between weekly walking distance and adiposity in27,596 women are nonlinear with respect to both distance andadiposity
Interactive effects of age and exercise on adiposity measures of41,582 physically active women