Vicious cycle of inactivity in obesity
Tuesday May 19th, 2015
Obesity may cause inactivity by restricting movement ability, researchers warn today.
Obesity
is often blamed on lack of fitness - but the latest research suggests
it causes a "vicious cycle" of inactivity, according to the
study in Dublin, Ireland.
The findings were reported to the conference of the European Congress of Endocrinology in Dublin.
Researchers compared 44 obese people with 44 of normal weight.
They found that those with obesity were far worse at synchronising an activity with an audio signal than the others.
This lack of coordination would make everyday tasks such as buttoning a shirt or tying a shoelace difficult, the researchers say.
Researcher Dr Johann Issartel said: "To make an analogy with a dance performance, one can imagine that the obese person is like somebody dancing just off the beat of the music."
He added: "When we can pinpoint the root cause, we should be in a position to develop behavioural strategies to improve motor skills in obese patients rather than using medical interventions.
"This will break the vicious cycle of obesity and inactivity and mean that obese patients are more likely to be comfortable engaging in physical activity."
Altered sensory motor integration of obese adults. European Congress of Endocrinology, Dublin.
Printer friendly page