Overview
- The American Heart Association issued a scientific statement published in Circulation urging clinicians to prescribe physical activity as an essential component of obesity treatment.
- The statement reports that regular activity lowers blood pressure, improves insulin sensitivity, raises healthy cholesterol levels, and boosts overall fitness independent of changes on the scale.
- Authors note that exercise alone seldom produces large weight loss and that clinically meaningful reductions usually require very high aerobic volumes of about 225 to 420 minutes per week.
- The AHA reiterates a minimum adult target of 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, links 200–300 minutes a week to long‑term weight maintenance, and emphasizes resistance training plus adequate protein to preserve muscle during weight loss.
- The statement highlights low population adherence—about one in four adults meet activity guidelines—and calls for team‑based, individualized care that pairs activity with diet, medications, surgery, counseling, and tools to address barriers to being active.