Study: USDA Exercise Guidelines May Be Too Low to Combat Obesity

Current government exercise guidelines may be too low to help combat the rising incidence of obesity, according to researchers at the University of Alabama, Birmingham.

Researchers compared total free-living activity energy expenditure and physical activity level in women successful and unsuccessful at maintaining a normal body weight.

Physical inactivity alone accounted for 77 percent of the participant's weight gain after one year, according to the their report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

The current USDA guidelines of 30 minutes per day of moderate physical activity may need to be increased to as much as 80 minutes per day to prevent weight gain, said Dr. Roland Weinsier, UAB professor of nutrition sciences. "We need to add more physical activity to the daily lives of the general population to fight the rising prevalence of obesity in America."

Other sources: University of Alabama at Birmingham, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition