Over the past few years, the theory that Walking 10,000 steps per day is the key to health and weight loss is increasingly common.
However, according to a new study, this will not actually prevent weight gain or lead to weight loss, according to the British newspaper, “The Independent”, quoted by the journal Obesity.
120 female students
Researchers from Brigham Young University’s Department of Exercise Sciences, in collaboration with experts from the Department of Dietetics and Food Sciences, conducted a study on a group of freshmen at the university.
The data of 120 female students were analyzed during the first six months of college, who participated in a step-counting experiment, which ranged between 10,000, 12,500 or 15,000 steps per day, 6 days a week, for 24 weeks.
The data also included the number of steps and calories taken by the students and their weight.
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1.5 kg
The researchers discovered that the number of steps did not prevent the female students in the study from gaining excess weight, even among the participants who walked 15,000 steps per day.
It was also found at the end of the study period that the female students gained an average of 1.5 kg, which is the extra weight that is usually gained during the first year of students at the university, according to the previous studies mentioned.
While the researchers wrote that “the lack of reduction in weight gain among the participants by number of steps is a surprising result, because physical activity increases gradually with each step and in turn leads to increased consumption and alters the body’s energy balance.”
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Other moral and health benefits
Among the findings, lead researcher Bruce Bailey, professor of physical exercise sciences at Brigham Young University, concluded, “Exercise alone is not always the most effective way to lose weight. If you follow the steps, it may have a benefit in increasing physical activity. But the study results showed that The number of steps will not translate into maintaining weight or preventing weight gain.”
However, the researchers noted that walking more steps means an overall positive effect on the “physical activity patterns” of the students, and may have “other moral and health benefits.”
Bailey concluded that “the greatest benefit from the recommendations Walking For a greater number of steps is the exit from the sedentary lifestyle. Although it won’t prevent weight gain on its own, more steps are always better.”
