Being More Physically Active Does Not Help Girls Lose Body Fat

The following is excerpted from an online article posted by StudyFinds.

Girls do not shed pounds from being more physically active, according to new research. A team in Norway says their figures are not controlled by how much time they spend running, walking, or in the gym. While exercise has major health benefits, the effects differ between the sexes. Boys lose body fat but only after they reach adolescence.

“In girls, we found no connection between their physical activity and amount of body fat. Increased physical activity didn’t lead to less body fat in the girls, and body fat had no effect on changes in their physical activity,” says first study author Tonje Zahl-Thanem in a university release.

In boys, the amount of body fat influences exercise levels, with more resulting in less, respectively.

The findings are based on almost 1,000 Norwegian children, who researchers examined every two years between the ages of six and 14.

“In sum, we found a link between physical activity, sedentary lifestyle and fat percentage in boys, but not in girls,” Steinsbekk concludes.

The analysis was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

Source: StudyFinds
https://studyfinds.org/physically-active-girls-body-fat/