The Relationship Between Exercise and Obesity

Abstract

Obesity is one of the biggest problems in the United States. In the United States, 40% of adults are obese while 20% of children from ages 2-19 are obese. The main causes of obesity are consuming too many processed foods, sugary drinks, foods that are high in fat, and a lack of physical activity. Consequences of obesity are type 2 diabetes, heart disease, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems and stroke. Also, 39.2% of men are obese while 41.3% of women are obese. Fuel partitioning plays apart in obesity as the body stores more energy as fat in obese individuals leading to weight gain. A shift in fuel partitioning that favors fat deposition over oxidation reduces energy expenditure. More importantly, the sequestration of fat leads to an increase in food intake which leads to the ascension of obesity. Another way that fuel partitioning affects obesity is when more calories are directed towards fat storage, adipose tissue increases which leads to weight gain. Storing fat creates a decrease in the body’s ability to utilize stored fat for energy which in turn creates a lower metabolism rate. The bike experiment showed that if you produce a higher RER during exercise, you will have burned off a good percentage of carbohydrates and fats. Exercise helps with decreasing fat by increasing the number of calories you burn and building mass. One of the ways that exercise helps with burning off fat is by enhancing your body’s ability to deliver oxygen to your muscles which allows them to burn fat more efficiently. During exercise, your muscles work harder and require more energy to function which leads to a higher calorie burn. Exercise helps to burn off carbohydrates by utilizing the body’s stored glycogen as the primary energy source during moderate to high intensity workouts. Exercise has a huge impact on obesity by burning calories to help create a calorie deficit when combined with a healthy diet. This is very important for weight loss and it improves the body composition by increasing the muscle mass and reducing fat mass to maintain a healthy weight. Another key component in exercise impacting obesity is that it improves insulin sensitivity, reduces blood pressure and increases cardiovascular fitness. Exercise affects metabolic health by increasing your life, improves energy efficiency, improves dyslipidemia, increases calories burn at rest, reduces the risk of chronic conditions such as dementia and Alzheimer’s.