Beaumont Study Published in Obesity Research Journal

People with higher levels of fitness, such as those who exercise regularly, have a higher metabolic rate (the amount of energy used while at rest) and lower body mass index (the number calculated from a person's weight and height to indicate measures of body fat.) Those who exercise less frequently had low metabolic rate and were found to be more obese.

These study results were published in the March issue of Obesity journal, the official journal of The Obesity Society, by researchers.

Beaumont researchers found lower than predicted resting metabolic rate is associated with severely impaired cardiorespiratory fitness in obese people. Researchers believe this is the first study in the United States to examine the relationships between aerobic fitness level, metabolic rate and degree of fatness in obese individuals.

“These findings imply that severe obesity may be a self-perpetuating cycle,” says Wendy Miller, M.D., study author and director of the Beaumont Weight Control Center in Royal Oak. “As a person becomes more obese, they may become more sedentary, which leads to a decrease in aerobic fitness level and subsequent decline in metabolic rate. This, in turn, leads to further weight gain.”

Prevalence of obesity in the United States has reached epidemic proportions. The majority of adults are either overweight or obese. With the increase of obesity and morbid obesity, chronic medical conditions including insulin resistance syndrome, Type 2 diabetes, elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, and cardiovascular disease have significantly increased.

To prevent or break a progressive weight gain cycle, the study suggests individuals must maintain physically-active lifestyles by accumulating 30 to 60 minutes of daily exercise, such as walking, and limiting sedentary behavior, such as sitting and watching television.

Source: William Beaumont Hospital