Will Biking Prevent Weight Gain? Not Exactly…

Posted By elissa on Jul 3, 2010 | 2 comments

I have mixed feelings about reports of a new study just published in Archives of Internal Medicine. On the one hand, there’s some good news: biking for as little as 5 min/day helped to reduce weight gain in premenopausal women over a 16 year period.  And 30 min of biking per day was even better. This is good news, as its a good demonstration of the value of regular exercise – not to mention inexpensive, low-impact exercise that nearly anyone can do.

But…

I really cringe at the way this is being reported.  The news reports are putting a much bigger “happy face” on this than the data warrants. For example, here’s the headline at CNN:

Biking minutes a day may ward off weight gain

And Rodale Press:

Biking, Walking Ward Off the Middle-Age Bulge
A new study shows that it doesn’t take intense, super-complex exercise programs to avoid weight gain as you age.

And Science Daily:

Bicycling, Brisk Walking Help Women Control Weight; Researchers Call for More Bike-Friendly Environments to Combat Obesity

These headlines make it sound like a sure cure for middle-aged weight gain in women.

NOT.

You have to read each article and/or the study abstract closely to get at the more nuanced reality.  On average, ALL the women gained weight – the reported mean was 20.5 pounds.  The women biking for the estimated 5 min/day gained 0,74 kg (1.65 pounds ) less… meaning that the mean increase was “only” 18.85 pounds rather than 20.5.  The women who biked longer fared better, gaining 1.59 kg (3.5 pounds) less than their sedentary counterparts. So they gained – on average – “only” 17 pounds.

So exercise DOES help.  And I’m certainly 100% in favor of more activity in general, and enjoyable activity at that. It’s definitely a great start and certainly waaaay better than nothing.  But – by itself – it’s not enough to help women remain weight stable over time, much less lose excess weight, as they age.  As noted in some research reported earlier this year, avoiding weight gain may take a good hour each day.

And for weight loss?  Well, that still requires calorie restriction – it’s unlikely exercise alone will cut it.