November 2006

NIH study weighs benefits of exercise, diets

When looking to lose weight, which way is better — diet or exercise? According to findings from an NIH-funded study at Saint Louis University’s Doisy College of Health Sciences, dieters and exercisers both lost a significant amount of weight, however, those who only dieted lost muscle mass, strength, and aerobic capacity.

“Exercise-induced weight loss provides the additional benefit of improving physical performance capacity,” says Edward Weiss, PhD, lead author and assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics at Saint Louis University’s Doisy College of Health Sciences.

The goal of dieters was to reduce their calorie consumption by 16 percent the first three months, and by 20 percent the next nine. Likewise, exercisers strove to burn 16 percent more calories the first three months, increasing to 20 percent the next nine months.

Both groups lost between 9 and 10 percent of their total body weight, but those who dieted lost muscle mass while those who exercised did not. It is most likely because exercisers routinely challenged their muscles which prevented muscle tissue from degrading. Dieters didn’t work their muscles as vigorously as those who exercised.

Sources: Saint Louis University Doisy College of Health, www.slu.edu Journal of Applied Physiology, http://jap.physiology.org

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