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Exercise Paradox


paradox The exercise paradox,[1] also known as the workout paradox,[2] refers to the finding that physical activity, while essential for maintaining overall health, does not necessarily lead to significant weight loss or increased calorie expenditure.[3] This paradox challenges the common belief that more exercise equates to more calories burned and consequently, more weight loss.[4] Hadza tribe case study[edit] The exercise paradox emerged from studies comparing calorie expenditure between different populations. Fieldwork on the Hadza people, a hunter-gatherer tribe in Tanzania, revealed that despite their high levels of physical activity, the tribe burned a similar number of calories per day as sedentary individuals in industrialized societies.[5][6] This finding, led by Duke University professor Herman Pontzer, contradicted the expectation that more active lifestyles would result in higher energy expenditures.[7] In 2012, Pontzer and his team of researchers analyzed energy expenditure in 30 Hadza adults using the doubly labeled water method.

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Exercise Paradox