A recent international study adequately confirms how physical activity is not all that pivotal to the increasing rate of obesity. Loyola University Health System researchers along with others from various centers (University of Ibadan in Nigeria, Howard University, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and University of Wisconsin) compared women in African America (living in Metropolitan Chicago) to the women in rural Nigeria. This comparison revealed that women in Nigeria were less obese (127 pounds) compared to women (184) in Chicago.
As was usually expected, the researchers thought the secret of lean Nigerian women is their involvement in physical activity. But the researchers where shocked by the revelation that both the obese and the lean group showed no significant difference in their ability to burn calories with physical activity.
This led to a confirmed statement by Amy Luke, Ph.D. (Loyola Nutritionist and an associate professor in the Department of Medicine and Epidemiology) and a corresponding author of this study published in the September 2008 issue of the journal Obesity. Luke says, “"Decreased physical activity may not be the primary driver of the obesity epidemic.” Physical activity is essentially understood as anything that gives your body sufficient movement. There are set U.S. Govt. guidelines on the amount of physical activity required by adults.
There is absolutely no dispute on the proven benefits of physical activity for it strengthens bones and enhances muscles, besides being capable of keeping one’s mind and heart at peace, thereby reducing the risk of heart diseases, diabetes, blood pressure, and different kinds of cancers. But after this study, the researchers feel that weight control may not be a significant benefit of physical activity.
It is a fact that physically active people manage to burn calories adequately, but that gets nullified when they eat more. Luke confirmed that “Evidence is beginning to accumulate that dietary intake may be more important than energy expenditure level. Weight loss is not likely to happen without dietary restraint."
When lean Nigerian women were compared to the obese Chicago women, it revealed that Nigerian diet was high on fiber and carbohydrates and low on fat and animal protein. In contrast, the Chicago diet comprised 40 – 45 percent fat and was high on processed foods.
With this study, it becomes amply clear that physical activity cannot help much in losing weight if you do not keep a vigil on your eating habits!