Move More, Improve Heart Health: Exercise Benefits Obesity Beyond Weight Loss
A new scientific statement emphasizes that physical activity improves major cardiovascular risk factors—blood pressure, insulin resistance, and cholesterol—independently of weight loss, underscoring its value in obesity treatment. While exercise alone has a modest impact on body weight, combining activity with interventions such as bariatric surgery and GLP-1 therapies can enhance outcomes. Clinicians are encouraged to use evidence-based approaches like the 5A model (assess, advise, agree, assist, arrange) and to emphasize that 'some is better than none' to engage physically inactive patients.
