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Diet vs exercise for the prevention of pediatric obesity: the role of exercise

International Journal of Obesity volume 35, pages 29–32 (2011)Cite this article

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Abstract

As pediatric obesity is commonly viewed as the result of an excessively positive energy balance, preventive efforts typically emphasize reduction of energy intake, with increases in physical activity (PA) having a supporting role. However, recent research that has focused on body composition rather than weight has found that PA stimulates development of lean tissue rather than fat tissue. Preventive interventions that emphasize vigorous PA rather than restriction of energy intake can help youths to develop lean bodies, at the same time that they ingest sufficient amounts of the energy and accompanying nutrients needed for healthy growth.

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Acknowledgements

Dr Gutin's work has been funded by the NIH. He thanks the journal editors, Richard Atkinson and Ian Macdonald, for their kind invitation to participate in this debate, and the journal reviewers for their helpful comments on an early draft.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    B Gutin

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta, GA, USA

    B Gutin

  3. Department of Applied Physiology, Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    B Gutin

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  1. B Gutin
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Correspondence to B Gutin.

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The author declares no conflict of interest.

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Submitted to the International Journal of Obesity, by invitation of the editors, April, 2010.

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Gutin, B. Diet vs exercise for the prevention of pediatric obesity: the role of exercise. Int J Obes 35, 29–32 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/ijo.2010.140

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