BBC: “Exercise is not the answer to obesity fight”
In an editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (titled ‘It is time to bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity: you cannot outrun a bad diet’), three international experts have said that exercise and activity has a minimal impact on obesity.
However, they did find that activity was key to reducing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia.
The experts, including London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra, blamed the food industry for pushing the belief that exercise could counteract the impact of eating unhealthily.
They even claimed that the food industry’s tactics were ‘chillingly similar’ to those of tobacco companies – and called on the celebrity endorsements of sugary drinks and the association of junk food with sport sponsorship to end.
Dr Malhotra said:
“An obese person does not need to do one iota of exercise to lose weight, they just need to eat less. My biggest concern is that the messaging that is coming to the public suggests you can eat what you like as long as you exercise.
“That is unscientific and wrong. You cannot outrun a bad diet.”
BBC Article: You cannot outrun a bad diet (23 April 2015)
Image: “Jogging Woman in Grass” by “Mike” Michael L. Baird.
