Healthcare

The Women who have body mass index (BMI) lower than 25 kg/m2 can take benefit from physical activity for reducing weight gain, but not to the women with had BMI from 25 to 29.9 kg/m2 or over than 30.0.

Although federal guidelines has been ‘recommended’ the substantial health benefits from the moderate intensity of activity (which are 150 minutes/week or 7.5 metabolic equivalent [MET] hours/week), however, it’s not clear when associated to the purpose of weigh gain prevention from the amount of physical activity.

Regarding to this case, I-Min Lee, MBBSm ScD, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Mdical School in Boston, Massachusetts, and colleagues, has done a study among healthy US women to evaluate the amount of physical activity that may have benefits to reduce long-term weight gain.

The classification of the amount of physical activity as following;
- less than 7.5 MET hours per week,
- 7.5 MET to less than 21 MET hours per week,
- 21 or more of MET hours per week.

For instance, the study result as have significant effect from physical activity and BMI, Dr. Lee write, “Among women consuming a usual diet, physical activity was associated with less weight gain only among women whose BMI was lower than 25.”

The author added, “Women successful in maintaining normal weight and gaining fewer than 2.3 kg over 13 years averaged approximately 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity throughout the study.”

Based on this finding, Dr. Lee suggest that federal guidelines as above mention apparently significant effect to reduce the risk of chronic disease, but not significant to weight gain prevention absen caloric restriction.

As a conclusion the author said that physical activity have benefits to Weight gain only for women with normal weight, but not to heavier women, emphasizing the importance of controlling caloric intake for weight maintenance in this group.