Dancing is effective for treating obesity and improving fitness, study shows

Practicing physical activity that is enjoyable is one of the keys to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. If your doctor has recommended you lose weight to live healthily, dancing can be an excellent physical exercise for this purpose, as it helps burn fat, at the same time as being a fun and enjoyable alternative to getting out of a sedentary lifestyle.

A study published in the journal Plos One indicated that dancing can help with fat loss, in addition to significantly improving body composition and morphology. Additionally, researchers concluded that exercise can improve cardiorespiratory fitness as well.

To reach this conclusion, 10 studies were analyzed, carried out with overweight or obese participants. Dancing was the only activity practiced by volunteers in the studies reviewed, with a frequency of at least four times a week. The other fraction of study participants were advised to maintain a usual lifestyle.

In these studies evaluated, participants had their measurements taken, such as waist and hip circumference, in addition to identification of body mass, percentage of body fat, fat mass in kilograms, in addition to BMI (Body Mass Index) calculated.

All studies analyzed examined the effects of dancing compared to the control group. The results indicated that, when compared to a normal lifestyle, dancing has a significant effect on improving body composition, reducing BMI and fat content. However, the differences in waist-to-hip ratio were not significant.

According to the authors of the study, dancing works the entire body, which enhances the burning of calories and, consequently, the loss of body fat. “Purely localized body exercises tend to have lower overall energy expenditure and are more prone to fatigue, making them difficult to sustain,” comment the researchers in the study.

Pleasure to dance

According to research, dancing is a pleasurable alternative to effective aerobic exercise for physical conditioning. Consequently, the chances of it being practiced consistently by people undergoing treatment for obesity are greater.

“Starting physical activity is not the main challenge; The crucial point is maintaining long-term exercise habits. Participants who derive pleasure from physical activity are more likely to maintain it, indicating the fundamental role of pleasure as a key factor in maintaining physical exercise,” the study authors wrote.

In the studies analyzed in the review, for example, the dropout rate of participants who were in dance programs was low. Therefore, the effectiveness of this type of exercise may be greater in the long term.

Finally, the study concluded that dancing can be an alternative to traditional exercise protocols for weight loss aimed at treating obesity and overweight, especially for the young population (under 45 years of age).

However, larger studies are needed, with longer and more comprehensive interventions to strengthen this evidence. More research is also needed to evaluate the effects of different dance styles (of varying intensity and movements) and gender differences (male and female) on results.