Keeping up regular exercise has significant benefits for weight and waist measurements, new research shows.
A team from Northwestern University, Chicago, USA, explain that physical activity guidelines to prevent long-term weight gain are based on sparse research.
They followed 3,554 men and women aged 18 to 30, for 20 years. Maintaining high levels of "moderate and vigorous activity" was associated with smaller increases in body mass index and waist circumference than low activity levels.
Men gained 5.7 fewer pounds and 1.2 fewer inches, and women 13.4 fewer pounds and 1.5 fewer inches, than those in the lowest third for activity.
Details are published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The authors point out that moderate or inconsistent activity levels were no more effective than low activity levels.
They write: "Importantly, women seemed to benefit the most from maintaining higher activity; the magnitude of weight change was more than twice as large among women compared with men.
"These results suggest that maintaining higher activity levels during young adulthood may lessen weight gain as young adults transition to middle age. Our results reinforce the role of physical activity in minimising weight gain and highlight the value of incorporating and maintaining at least 30 minutes of activity into daily life throughout young adulthood."
Cardiac nurse Natasha Stewart of the British Heart Foundation said: "This study reminds us that regular physical activity plays an essential role in our long term health by lowering our risk of putting on weight as we age.
"Taking the stairs at work, briskly walking children or grandchildren to school, and even things like housework and gardening help towards the recommended amount of 30 minutes’ physical activity five times a week."
Hankinson, A. L. et al. Maintaining a high physical activity level over 20 years and weight gain. The Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 304, December 15, 2010, pp. 2603-10.
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