The Effects of Physical Exercise on Reducing Body Weight and Body Composition of Obese Middle Aged People. A Systematic review

Aim The aim of this review paper was to determine the effects of physical exercise on reducing body weight and body composition of persons between 40 and 64 years of age on the basis of collected data and analyzed papers published between 1998 and 2010 year. Methods Literature search was made using the following search bases: MEDLINE, Google Scholar, CINHAL, EMBASE, Kobson, DOAJ. Papers were selected based on several criteria. The reduction of body mass and body composition were particularly emphasized, that subjects were not suffering from other diseases except they were obese and that study only involves physical activity (exercise) and physical activity combined with diet during weight reduction of obese. In addition to the request that study included middle-aged people between 40 and 64 year and that they were over-weight (BMI>25 kg/m2) or obese (BMI> 30 kg/m2), was the criteria that study was longitudinal. Results The combination of exercise (either aerobic or resistance training) and diet has shown the best results in the reduction of body weight. Statistically significant differences (p <0.01) was not found between continuous and interval work when the volume and intensity of exercise was equal. Conclusion Moderate physical activity for middle aged people (40-64 year) in combination with reduced calorie intake has positive impact on body fat and body weight reduction.