Outrunning major weight gain: a prospective study of 8,340consistent runners during 7 years of follow-up

Journal Article · Fri Jan 06 04:00:00 EST 2006 · Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise

OSTI ID:929016

Williams, Paul T

Background: Body weight increases with aging. Short-term,longitudinal exercise training studies suggest that increasing exerciseproduces acute weight loss, but it is not clear if the maintenance oflong-term, vigorous exercise attenuates age-related weight gain inproportion to the exercise dose. Methods: Prospective study of 6,119 maleand 2,221 female runners whose running distance changed less than 5 km/wkbetween their baseline and follow-up survey 7 years later. Results: Onaverage, men who ran modest (0-24 km/wk), intermediate (24-48 km/wk) orprolonged distances (>_48 km/wk) all gained weight throughage 64,however, those who ran ?48 km/wk had one-half the average annual weightgain of those who ran<24 km/wk. Age-related weight gain, and itsreduction by running, were both greater in younger than older men. Incontrast, men s gain in waist circumference with age, and its reductionby running, were the same in older and younger men. Women increased theirbody weight and waist and hip circumferences over time, regardless ofage, which was also reduced in proportion to running distance. In bothsexes, running did not attenuate weight gain uniformly, but ratherdisproportionately prevented more extreme increases. Conclusion: Men andwomen who remain vigorously active gain less weight as they age and thereduction is in proportion to the exercise dose.

• Research Organization: Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Director, Office of Science; National Institutes ofHealth
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 929016
• Report Number(s): LBNL--59142; BnR: 400412000
• Journal Information: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, Journal Name: Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise Journal Issue: 5 Vol. 39
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES
AGING
FEMALES
MAINTENANCE
MALES
TRAINING