Study: White Women Exercise More, Black Women Less, After Weight Loss

White women tend to exercise more, and black women tend to exercise less, after dieting and losing a significant amount of weight, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

After weight loss from dieting or in combination with exercise, physical activity is often easier and many people choose to pursue a more active lifestyle.

For six months, researchers studied a group of 17 black and 18 white women, average age 36, who were sedentary, overweight, and had a family history of overweight or obesity. These overweight women were compared to a control group of 38 women who had never been overweight.

The overweight women were put on a controlled diet of 800 calories for 24 weeks and lost an average of 28.6 pounds and attained a body mass index of less than 25, which is within the normal range. The women were not given any advice on altering daily activities or establishing an exercise routine.

Although both the black and white women reported becoming more active after achieving their weight loss, the black women's level of physical activity decreased by an average of 26 percent, whereas the activity level of the white women increased by 16 percent, according to the researchers.

Other sources: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition