Physical activity in the management of obesity in adults: A position statement from Exercise and Sport Science Australia.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Expert consensus position statement summarizing existing literature
PubMed 34531124 · doi:10.1016/j.jsams.2021.07.009
What was done
Exercise and Sport Science Australia synthesized evidence to produce a clinical position statement evaluating the role of physical activity in weight and adiposity loss, prevention of weight and adiposity gain, and prevention of weight regain in adults.
What was found
Preventing weight and adiposity gain requires >150 min/week (preferably 300 min/week) of at least moderate-intensity aerobic activity, and at least the upper end of this range (300 min/week) is required to prevent weight regain after weight loss. Meaningful weight and total adiposity loss requires a minimum of 300–420 min/week of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise. Emerging evidence suggests the volume required to reduce central adiposity is substantially less than that required for general weight loss. The specific impact of high-intensity physical activity and resistance exercise on weight management remains uncertain, but metabolic and cardiovascular health improvements occur with physical activity at any weight and regardless of weight change.
Why it matters
It establishes high weekly aerobic volume thresholds (300–420 min/week) needed for exercise-induced weight loss while emphasizing that cardiovascular and metabolic health benefits occur independently of weight loss.
Limits
The abstract describes a position statement without detailing specific systematic search criteria, meta-analytic pooling, or quantitative effect sizes (e.g., mean weight loss in kg). The exact roles of resistance training and high-intensity interval exercise remain undetermined.
Cited by
- contradicts Published research demonstrates that incorporating strength training during weight loss leads to appreciable weight loss retention.