The role of physical activity in the regulation of body weight: The overlooked contribution of light physical activity and sedentary behaviors

The role of physical activity (PA) in the regulation of body weight is still a major topic of debate. This may be because studies have essentially focused on the effects of moderate/vigorous PA (MVPA) on body weight while overlooking the other components of PA, namely, light-intensity PA (LPA, daily life activities) and sedentary behaviors (SB, too much sitting). In this review, we will (i) describe the history of changes in PA behaviors that occurred with modernization; (ii) review data from cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that examined the associations between PA, SB, and measures of obesity; (iii) review interventional studies that investigated the effects of changes in PA and SB on body weight and adiposity; and (iv) discuss experimental studies that addressed potential biological mechanisms underlying the effects of PA and SB on weight regulation. Overall recent findings support the importance of considering all components of PA to better understand the regulation of energy balance and suggest an important role for LPA and SB in addition to MVPA on body weight regulation. Longitudinal large-scale rigorous studies are needed to advance our knowledge of the role of PA/SB in combating the obesity epidemic.

Automated summary

The role of physical activity in regulating body weight is still debated. Studies have mainly focused on the effects of moderate/vigorous physical activity, ignoring the impact of light-intensity physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Recent findings suggest that all components of physical activity, including light-intensity activity and sedentary behaviors, play an important role in weight regulation.