A recent study published in Obesity journal investigates the impact of physical activity patterns on abdominal and general adiposity among US adults, shedding light on the effectiveness of different exercise regimens. The research, led by Lubi Lei, Jingkuo Li, Wei Wang, Yanwu Yu, Boxuan Pu, Yue Peng, Lihua Zhang, and Zhenyan Zhao, utilizes data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning from 2011 to 2018, focusing on participants aged 20 to 59 years.
The study categorizes physical activity into three patterns: inactive, “weekend warrior” (WW), and regularly active (RA). A weekend warrior is defined as someone who compresses the recommended weekly physical activity into one or two sessions, while regularly active individuals spread their activity more evenly throughout the week. The research examines the associations of these patterns with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured abdominal adiposity, whole-body fat mass, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference.
Among the 9,629 participants, 8.2% followed the weekend warrior pattern, and 36.9% were classified as regularly active. The findings reveal that both weekend warriors and regularly active participants showed significantly lower levels of abdominal adiposity, whole-body fat mass, BMI, and waist circumference compared to those who were inactive. Specifically, weekend warriors and regularly active individuals had lower DXA-measured abdominal adiposity, indicating a beneficial impact on reducing fat deposition.
The study underscores the importance of physical activity in managing and preventing obesity, regardless of the pattern followed. It challenges the traditional notion that physical activity needs to be evenly distributed throughout the week to be effective. Instead, it suggests that accumulating the recommended amount of physical activity in one or two days can offer similar benefits in terms of reducing fat mass, including in the abdominal region and overall, as well as improving BMI and waist circumference measures.
This research adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the flexibility in how physical activity can be scheduled to fit into busy lifestyles without compromising health benefits. It highlights the potential for the weekend warrior pattern to serve as a viable alternative for individuals struggling to maintain regular exercise routines due to time constraints. Furthermore, the study calls for a reevaluation of current physical activity guidelines to accommodate varying schedules and lifestyles, emphasizing the overarching goal of encouraging more people to engage in any form of physical activity to combat obesity and its related health risks.
Journal Refernece – Lei, L., Li, J., Wang, W., Yu, Y., Pu, B., Peng, Y., … Zhao, Z. (2024). Obesity. doi:10.1002/oby.23986
