LIFE STYLE: After reviewing 116 studies involving nearly 7,000 overweight and obese adults, researchers say that at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week is important for reducing waistline and body fat. The greatest reductions in body weight and waist circumference were seen with 300 minutes of aerobic training, with the best improvement in body fat percentage seen with 150 minutes a week. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Network Open.

Aerobic, or cardiorespiratory, exercise, including running and cycling, increases a person's heart rate and improves oxygen supply to muscles and organs. Researchers, including researchers at Imperial College, London, said that Current recommendations about how long to do aerobic training are based on individual studies and meta-analyses, or reviews of previously published literature, which are inadequate. For their analysis, the team used randomized clinical Observed trials – a type of experiment that compares how effective an intervention is for a given situation.

The studies involved at least eight weeks of supervised aerobic training in adults who had a body mass index greater than 25 (for Westerners) or 23 (Asians). The researchers found that while doing 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a week helped adults experience “modest” reductions in body weight, waist circumference, and body fat, while exercising 150 minutes and more helped lead to “clinically significant reductions” “Achieving clinically significant reductions in waist circumference and body fat measurements may require at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise training per week at moderate intensity or greater,” the authors wrote.

The largest reduction in body fat percentage – more than two percent – ​​was seen at 150 minutes of aerobic training per week. Additionally, doing 300 minutes of aerobic exercise per week reduced body weight by more than four kilograms and waist circumference by four A decrease of five centimeters was observed. However, the greatest improvement in body fat percentage was to 150 minutes of aerobic training per week.