High Altitude May Cause Weight Loss
Could changing to a higher altitude help kick start your weight loss?
New research from Germany has revealed that simply changing altitude could help to make a difference to your metabolism and jump start weight loss. In the study 20 middle aged obese men were taken to the mountains for a week to help explain altitude-related weight loss.
From previous studies weight loss has been linked to higher altitudes but these studies only used high activity people like skiers and hikers as their subjects. So the results were expected to be better than normal. But the researchers in this new case wanted to see if just changing altitude alone with out any change in activity or food levels could make the difference.
The 20 men (who’s average body mass index was 34) were put through a serious of tests in Munich before being relocated to a research station on Germany’s highest mountain, the Zugspitze. While they were there, no restrictions was placed on their eating and they could only perform slow walking as exercise in the building. After the week the men were returned to Munich where more tests were done to compare the findings.
While the men lost on average 3.5 pounds it was found that even a month later the men were burning slightly more calories and their exercise capacity had improved dramatically. While the researchers are a bit baffled at the results they believe that the week spent on the mountain appeared to jump-start metabolism and make exercise easier for the men.
The study will be tried again but at a higher altitude next time to see if the figures still add up but it may prove that altitude may play a role in weight loss. Which may be one reason why Colorado which has the highest mean elevation also has the lowest obesity rate in the US, while states with higher rates of obesity tend to be at lower altitudes.
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