On Average, Women Gain 20 Pounds Over A Sixteen Year Period

A study at Harvard University School Of Public Health and Brigham’s Woman’s College concluded the weight changes by studying 18 thousand pre-menopausal women. The research began back in 1989 and has been researched through a few months ago.

According to the Archives Of International Medicine, the women who participated gained an average of 20 and ½ pounds over 16 years. Women who took calm walks regularly or biked regularly were less likely to gain weight.

Anne Lusk, a researcher at the Harvard School Of Public Health said, “This research shows that both brisk walking and biking can help prevent weight gain.”

While she fully supports walking and biking, she expressed that slow physical activity does not keep the pounds off for sure. She said, “Slow walking doesn’t keep weight in check, women need to step it up — or bike, which may be more comfortable for them.”

Anne McTiernan, director of the Prevention Center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, concluded that women can keep the average weight gain off. But to keep the average weight gain off, women need to either bike or walk at about 2-4 hour hours per week. If eating habits are at normal levels, woman can loose an extra 3-5 pounds a year.