Cycling Tips & Stories

News Item #1: Nearly one-third of adults, close to 59 million people, are considered obese. Moreover, close to two-thirds of adults are either obese or overweight; that is nearly two out of every three Americans.

News Item #2: Researchers in the UK conducted a study in which they asked previously inactive people to start cycling a few miles every day (see p. 318 of this very large PDF file). Distances involved were modest--15-20 miles per week. "[G]reatest relative risk exists in the lowest 20% of the national population distribution of aerobic fitness, and that risk reduces continuously as one's ranking improves. . . . Those completing the whole trial moved from a mean of the 31st percentile to the 48th percentile, i.e. from the bottom third of the national fitness distribution to a near-average position. . . . Body fat was significantly reduced among most of those subjects who were overweight or obese at outset (59% of the participants)." Participants typically lost 5-8 pounds of fat during two-month study period.

Can you put #1 and #2 together to come to a logical conclusion? permanent link to article: "Putting 1 & 2 together . . . "
posted by Brent Hugh at 10/30/2002 08:29:10 AM |comment on this article