Study Finds Activity Key in Weight Gain
Posted on: Monday, 17 April 2006, 21:00 CDT
PORTLAND, Ore. - Staying active may be more of a factor in fending off weight gain for adults than cutting calories, according to a new study.
The study on monkeys at the Oregon National Primate Research Center found no strong relationship between the level of food intake and weight gain.
The most active monkeys gained less weight despite being fed the same high-fat diet, researchers said.
"Considering the fact that 60 percent of adult Americans are overweight or obese, this is a finding that affects a large percentage of the adult population in this country," said Judy Cameron, an Oregon Health & Science University neuroscientist who led the study.
Cameron and her colleagues studied 18 adult female monkeys during a nine-month period. About a year before the study, the ovaries were removed from the animals to simulate menopause in humans. In addition, all of the animals were placed on a high-fat diet, similar to the diet of a middle-aged woman.
Food intake, body weight and body fat were closely tracked. Researchers also tracked the activity levels of the individual monkeys using a small device called an accelerometer, which was worn on a collar.
The results suggest that, while increased food intake has the potential of increasing body weight, it does not appear to be the primary cause of weight gain during the adult years.
"This is especially important to middle-aged Americans who typically witness a jump in weight," Cameron said.
The study was released online this week before publication in the American Journal of Physiology: Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
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On the Net:
Oregon Health Science University: http://www.ohsu.edu
Source: Associated Press/AP Online
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