Study: Strength Training With Diet Helps Obese Children Grow Normally

Strength training along with a low-calorie diet can help obese children lose weight while allowing them to grow normally in height and improve their cholesterol levels, according to researchers at The Chinese University in Hong Kong.

Researchers compared the effectiveness of a low-calorie diet alone with a low-calorie diet in conjunction with strength training on 82 obese children ages 8 to 11 over a period of six weeks.

The combination of diet and strength training was more effective than diet alone in allowing the children to gain height while losing weight. The LDL to HDL ratio significantly decreased in the combination group and serum total cholesterol was significantly reduced in both groups, according to the study published in Archives of Disease in Childhood.

"Results support the potentially beneficial effects of both diet and physical training," concluded the researchers.

Other sources: Archives of Disease in Childhood