Study Finds 8,500 Daily Steps May Help Prevent Weight Regain After Dieting
NEW DELHI — Walking about 8,500 steps a day may help people keep weight off after dieting, according to new research scheduled to be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Istanbul.
The study found a clear link between increasing daily step count and reducing the risk of weight regain after weight loss. Researchers said the increase appeared especially important during the weight-loss phase and should be maintained during the weight-maintenance phase.
“The most important – and greatest – challenge when treating obesity is preventing weight regain,” said Professor Marwan El Ghoch of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia in Italy.
Researchers noted that about 80% of people with overweight or obesity who initially lose weight regain some or all of it within three to five years.
“The identification of a strategy that would solve this problem and help people maintain their new weight would be of huge clinical value,” El Ghoch said.
El Ghoch and researchers from Italy and Lebanon conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of existing studies. The findings were published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
The researchers compared people in lifestyle modification programs with control groups. Daily steps were measured at the start of the trials, at the end of the weight-loss phase and at the end of the weight-maintenance phase.
At the beginning of the trials, both groups had similar activity levels, with the lifestyle modification group averaging 7,280 steps a day and the control group averaging 7,180.
The control group did not increase its daily steps and did not lose weight during the study period. By contrast, the lifestyle modification group increased its step count to 8,454 a day by the end of the weight-loss phase and lost an average of 4.39% of body weight, or about 4 kilograms.
Participants in the lifestyle modification group largely maintained the higher activity level during the weight-maintenance phase, averaging 8,241 steps a day. They also kept off most of the weight they had lost, with average weight loss of 3.28%, or about 3 kilograms, by the end of the trials.
El Ghoch said the findings suggest lifestyle modification programs can support meaningful long-term weight loss when increased daily activity is maintained. (Source: IANS)
