The results of the study, carried out at the University of Missouri, suggests that while men may be able to shed the pounds with exercise alone, women will have to exercise and change their diet too.
It is estimated that 62.8% of adults in the UK are overweight or obese and the study’s results are depressing news for women who believed their fitness regime alone might be enough to help them lose weight and become fitter.
The Missouri study involved almost 75 obese men and women, who all have type 2 diabetes, following a programme of cardio exercise for 16 weeks. All exercised at the same speed but over the period of the exercise, the study revealed that men’s recovery time improved, showing their fitness was getting better, while they were losing weight. In contrast, women’s recovery time did not improve.
The study concluded that the difference in body composition between men and women is the reason that similar exercise does not have the same effects. For example, men have more muscle than women and because muscle has a higher metabolic rate than fat, men continue to burn calories when resting. Men also have larger lungs and hearts, while their higher levels of haemoglobin aid their exercise much more than women’s.
The research, published in the journal Metabolism, demonstrates that exercise alone will not help women who need to lose weight and get fitter. The study suggests that health providers should change their advice to obese women, particularly those with type 2 diabetes.