The Study
Nonprescribed physical activity energy expenditure is maintained with structured exercise and implicates a compensatory increase in energy intake.
This study is like a fair test where one group started walking or running regularly and the other didn’t. They found that the people who exercised didn’t move less the rest of the day—they actually moved about the same. But they didn’t lose as much weight as expected, so the scientists guess they might have eaten more, but they didn’t actually track what people ate.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
When overweight men started walking or running regularly, they burned more calories — but didn't move less the rest of the day. Instead, their bodies seemed to tell them to eat more.
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 569 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Even though they exercised hard, they only lost a small amount of weight because their bodies naturally increased appetite, offsetting most of the calorie burn.
- 2They burned 5% more energy per day, lost only 1.8 kg over 6 months (half of what was expected), and their hunger hormone (leptin) dropped by 24%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2010
Authors
J. Turner, D. Markovitch, J. Betts, D. Thompson
Related Content
Claims (6)
In sedentary, overweight middle-aged men, a 6-month structured exercise program increases total energy burned through physical activity without reducing other daily movement, but weight loss is only 38–47% of what would be predicted by the extra energy burned, because energy intake increases to offset the exercise.
In sedentary, overweight middle-aged men, six months of aerobic exercise lowers leptin levels by 24%, and this lower leptin level is associated with increased appetite and higher food intake.
In sedentary, overweight middle-aged men, structured aerobic exercise does not reduce other daily physical activity and may increase it.
In sedentary, overweight middle-aged men, six months of structured aerobic exercise leads to a weight loss of 1.8 kilograms, which is only 38–47% of the expected loss based on energy burned, meaning that increased food intake offsets a large portion of the expected fat loss.
People who engage in physical exercise burn about 5% more energy per day than those who do not.
In sedentary, overweight middle-aged men, structured aerobic exercise increases total energy burned through physical activity without changing low-intensity movements done outside of exercise.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.