While the Coca-
Cola Company is claiming that America’s obesity problem is less a calorie-related issue than a lack-of-exercise issue, researchers at the Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine have a different opinion: they say exercise does not help us lose weight. Science Daily reports that the researchers, writing in the International Journal of Epidemiology, detailed the evidence that physical activity is not key to losing weight. Here we go:
• It’s often argued that low obesity rates in Africa, India and China are due in part to strenuous daily work routines. But the evidence does not support this notion. For example, African Americans tend to weigh more than Nigerians. But studies have found that when corrected for body size, Nigerians do not burn more calories through physical activity than African Americans.
• Numerous clinical trials have found that exercise plus calorie restriction achieves virtually the same weight loss as calorie restriction alone.
• Observational studies show no association between energy expenditure and subsequent weight change.
• Extremely small proportions of the U.S. population engage in levels of energy expenditure at a sufficiently high level to affect long-term energy balance.
Yikes! Who to believe? Loyola researchers or Coca-Cola? Here’s a clue: the New York Times reports that an analysis published in PLOS Medicine found that studies financed by Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, the American Beverage Association and the sugar industry were five times more likely to find no link between sugary drinks and weight gain than studies reporting no industry sponsorship or financial conflicts of interest.
Weight Watchers tells you that without cutting calories, you will not lose weight. Exercise alone does not do it.