It is useful, but it does not save you from obesity

Scientists: 10 thousand steps a day will not help you lose weight

Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+

The activity rate of 10 thousand steps per day is considered the gold standard for people who are trying to cope with a sedentary lifestyle. Scientists decided to conduct experiments with students who tend to gain weight due to a sedentary lifestyle under the academic load in college. The press release 10,000 steps: Not quite magical when it comes to weight is published on the website of Brigham Young American University.

The team studied with 120 first-year students for six months after entering the educational institution. They walked 10, 12.5 or 15 thousand steps daily for six days a week. In each group, the norm gradually increased by 25%. The scientists also tracked the calorie intake and weight changes of the participants throughout the experiment. They wanted to find out if it was possible to influence weight by increasing this type of activity.

The students failed to lose weight or stay in the same shape.

Observations showed that, despite the increased load on walks – an increase in their duration – all students gained weight; on average, about 1.5 kg turned out in six months. The researchers note that this result correlates with general statistics, according to which, during the first academic year, all American college students gain 1-4 kg on average.

An important achievement of the experiment was a sharp decrease in "sedentary" hours.

"For some participants, it was reduced by almost 80 minutes daily and this is an important argument in favor of fighting a sedentary lifestyle," commented Bruce W. Bailey, the first author of the article published in the Journal of Obesity, The Impact of Step Recommendations on Body Composition and Physical Activity Patterns in College Freshman Women: A Randomized Trial.

The biggest achievement of the growing popularity of pedometers is the fight against a sedentary lifestyle. And even if it doesn't immediately affect a person's weight, the health benefits are still very significant, Bailey concluded.

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