Effects of a physical activity intervention and nutritional habits on anthropometric measurements in elementary school children
A total of 917 fourth graders (intervention group n = 614, control group n = 303) from nine different schools in southeastern Norway participated in the study between 2015 and 2018. It was observed that daily PA and a normal healthy diet increased, but an unhealthy diet decreased, muscle and bone mass despite daily PA. Daily PA seems to counteract some of the effects of an unhealthy diet on body weight and fat mass. In addition, daily PA and regular intake of fruits and berries reduces weight and fat mass in overweight children.
Daily 45 minutes of PA combined with a healthy diet results in weight loss and increased muscle and bone mass in elementary school children.
Goswami, N., Trozic, I., Fredriksen, MV etal. Influence of physical activity interventions and nutritional habits on anthropometric measurements in elementary school children: the Health Oriented Pedagogy Project (HOPP). Int J Obes (2021) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-021-00830-5
Commentary
The purpose of this study was to review physical activity and healthy eating habits of elementary school children to reduce obesity. As for the amount of physical activity, it's not that difficult, since the guideline is "45 minutes daily". What the author focused on was the fact that "unhealthy diet" was shown to be associated with loss of muscle and bone mass.
The unhealthy diet in this study includes fast food, burgers, kebabs, and sugary soft drinks. As an addendum, the study also mentioned that the combination of prolonged sedentary time and unhealthy diet may lead to loss of muscle mass. Therefore, it is theoretically possible that the decrease in muscle mass and physical activity could also affect bone mass. It is also stated that this unhealthy diet can affect us even if it is only done on a "regular" basis, so we should reconsider being too relieved that once a week is not a problem.
As other studies have shown, children and adults may need to reconsider fast food and other sugar-laden meals as well, since just reviewing them can affect body fat mass and weight.
