Physical activity in obesity management
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2025.v115i9b.3603Keywords:
Obesity, Physical Activity, Exercise, Guideline, South AfricaAbstract
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Aerobic PA (30 - 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity most days of the week) can be considered for adults who want to:
a. achieve small amounts of body weight and fat loss (Level 2a, Grade B)
b. achieve reductions in abdominal visceral fat (Level 1a, Grade A) and ectopic fat such as liver and heart fat (Level 1a, Grade A),even in the absence of weight loss
c. favour weight maintenance after weight loss (Level 2a, Grade B)
d. favour the maintenance of fat-free mass during weight loss (Level 2a, Grade B)
e. increase cardiorespiratory fitness (Level 2a, Grade B)[9] and mobility (Level 2a, Grade B).
2. For adults living with overweight or obesity, resistance training may promote weight maintenance or modest increases in muscle mass or fat-free mass and mobility (Level 2a, Grade B)
3. Increasing exercise intensity, including high-intensity interval training (HIIT), can achieve greater increases in cardiorespiratory fitness compared with moderate-intensity aerobic activity, and reduce the amount of time required to achieve similar benefits (Level 2a, Grade B).
4. Regular PA, with and without weight loss, can improve many cardiometabolic risk factors in adults who have overweight or obesity, including:
a. hyperglycaemia and insulin sensitivity (Level 2b, Grade B)
b. high blood pressure (Level 1a, Grade B)
c. dyslipidaemia (Level 2a, Grade B).
5. Regular PA can improve health-related quality of life, mood disorders (i.e. depression, anxiety) and body image in adults with overweight or obesity (Level 2b, Grade B).
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