SWIMMING IS NOT GOOD FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Report #7208
If you want to lose weight, lower cholesterol, or help to control diabetes, swimming is better than nothing, but not that much better (1).
A recent report from the University of Colorado shows that obese people who start a supervised swimming program do not lower their fasting blood sugar, insulin, total cholesterol, good HDL cholesterol and bad LDL cholesterol levels. They also did not lose weight or redistribute their body fat (2).
These results are different from people who start land-based sports such as running, aerobic dancing, racquetball and cycling. When you exercise on land, your body is surrounded by air which insulates you, causing your body to retain heat and your body temperature to rise for up to 18 hours after you finish exercising. Increased body temperature speeds up your metabolism and helps you to lose weight and lower cholesterol. On the other hand, when you swim, your body is surrounded by water which is an excellent conductor of heat away from your body, preventing your body temperature from rising. If you want to lose weight by swimming, the best way is to do it is by using a swimming machine on dry land.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) H Tanaka, DR Bassett, ET Howley. Effects of swim training on body weight,
carbohydrate metabolism, lipid and lipoprotein profile. Clinical Physiology 17: 4 (JUL
1997):347-359. Address H Tanaka, Univ Colorado, Dept Kinesiol, Campus Box 354, Boulder, CO
80309 USA. 2) Gwinnup The American J. of Sports Medicine 1987;15(3):275-279.
Reported 9/1/97; Checked 9/5/05