Move More then Gain Less Weight With Age

Young adults who maintained a high intensity of physical activity gained less weight in middle age, found researcher Arlene Hankinson, MD, an instructor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

Activity has an effect, but it does not entirely eliminate age-related weight gain she tells WebMD.

But it does help, she finds, and the benefit appears greater for women, although she is not sure why.

Highly active women gained 13 pounds less over 20 years than women with low     action levels, while highly active men gained 6 pounds less than the men with low activity levels.

While some who hope activity can wipe out age-related weight gain might see the results as disappointing, Hankinson disagrees. I think it's tremendously optimistic news, she says. It's showing how favorable activity is in reducing weight gain with age.