The Study
Impact of a walking program of 10,000 steps per day and dietary counseling on health-related quality of life, energy expenditure and anthropometric parameters in obese subjects
This study watched what happened to 35 people who decided to walk more and eat better for six months. They lost weight and felt better, but we don’t know if that was because of the walking and eating plan—or because they also slept better, got more sunshine, or just felt motivated. It’s like noticing your phone battery lasts longer after you turn off apps—you can’t be sure it was the apps that were draining it.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether walking a lot and getting simple diet tips helped overweight people lose weight and feel healthier.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 539 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — losing fat and feeling stronger and less anxious are meaningful improvements for daily life, even without changes in blood tests.
- 2After 6 months, people lost about 3.8 kg of weight and 4.0 kg of fat, gained 4.5% more muscle percentage, felt 15 points better in physical ability, and felt less anxious by 1.2 points.
- 3Their blood sugar and cholesterol didn't change.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Journal of Endocrinological Investigation
Year
2017
Authors
I. Castres, C. Tourny, Frédéric Lemaître, Jérémy Coquart
Related Content
Claims (6)
Obese adults who walk 10,000 steps daily and receive monthly dietary counseling for six months experience an average loss of 3.8 kg of body weight, 4.0 kg of fat mass, a 6.1% reduction in fat mass percentage, and a 4.8% increase in resting energy expenditure.
Obese adults who walk 10,000 steps daily and receive dietary counseling for six months show a 15.3-point increase in physical functioning and a 4.6-point increase in physical health quality of life scores.
Obese adults who walked 10,000 steps daily and received dietary counseling for six months showed a 1.2-point decrease in anxiety scores.
Obese adults who walk 10,000 steps daily and receive dietary counseling for six months experience a 4.5% increase in the proportion of their body weight that is lean mass.
Obese adults who walk 10,000 steps daily and receive dietary counseling for six months do not show measurable changes in their blood lipid or glucose levels, even if they lose weight.
People who take 9,000 more steps per day lose 1.1 to 1.4 kilograms of fat per month.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.