Exercise with Family & Friends for Improved Weight Loss |
After the Workout (© Fotosmurf02 | Dreamstime.com)
Eating a more healthy diet that doesn’t leave you feeling deprived of the pleasures of good food is a great start for losing weight, but getting more exercise is also essential to shedding extra pounds and keeping them off. A recent study has found that those who exercised with a friend or family member lost substantially more weight than those who worked out alone.
The study was performed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. The results were published in the October 26, 2009 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine in an article authored by Jennifer H. Mieres MD and Lawrence M. Phillips MD. Their research was motivated by the fact that “The prevalence of obesity and diabetes mellitus continues to increase in the United States.” The alarming and long-term trend has contributed to the soaring healthcare costs that are straining and often breaking family finances.
The authors wrote “The relationship between obesity and the establishment of diabetes has been well established.” The continuing trend toward obesity and the associated complications that can result, including cardiovascular disease, comes “primarily because of dietary habits and a sedentary lifestyle.”
The authors of the study noted that, “Minority populations are disproportionately affected” by obesity. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has found those over 20 years of age in the African American community have a nearly 50% higher rate of diabetes mellitus type 2 than the population average in the United States.
The 2-year trial at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine was “a culturally specific weight loss program” meant to test the effectiveness of “culturally salient social support.” African American women and men who enrolled with partners who also lost weight shed approximately 5 to 6 kilograms, while those who participated alone lost approximately 3 to 4 kilograms. (One kilogram = 2.2 pounds.)
To view the full article in Archives of Internal Medicine cited above requires a subscription. Go to: Trial of Family and Friend Support for Weight Loss in African American Adults
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