Nutritional benefits of regular exercise include the control of obesity and its complications, the improvement of blood lipid profile, the optimization of micro nutrient intake and the assurance of a maximum quality adjusted life expectancy.
While epidemiologists interpret various weight for height ratios in terms of obesity, such data can be misleading, particularly in older people where an accumulation of fat is masked by lean tissue loss.
Skinfold calipers provide a more accurate index of the amount and distribution of subcutaneous fat.
Arguments against the treatment of obesity by exercise include the large energy yield of fat, the potential for compensating changes of resting metabolism, and an inherently high level of fat stores in the obese.
Exercise cannot achieve rapid fat loss, but it has several advantages over other types of treatment, including the positive nature of the prescription, the associated elevation of mood and suppression of appetite, the conservation of lean tissue, and the establishment of an improved lifestyle. Moreover, blood pressure is reduced, insulin needs are decreased in the diabetic, and favorable changes of lipid profile are observed.
Total cholesterol levels are not affected by exercise if body mass is held constant, but provided a weekly threshold of exercise is exceeded, there is an increase of HDL cholesterol, particularly HDL-2 cholesterol. The intake of vitamins and most other micronutrients is increased by high daily energy expenditure gained from exercise.
References:
Shephard RJ. Nutritional benefits of exercise. J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 1989 Mar;29(1):83-90. PMID: 2671500.
