Join the military, see the world and lose some weight

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The Finns may have come up with a way to battle the obesity crisis: Join the military.

A study in the September issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise found that young men who spend six to 12 months in military service that included boot camp lost fat -- including visceral fat -- and gained muscle.

Researchers in Finland, which has mandatory military service for men, charted various health-related changes among 1,003 men, average age 19. They measured weight, height, waist and hip circumference, plus changes in body mass index. During eight weeks of basic training, soldiers averaged the equivalent of four hours of sports-related activity and 12 hours of military-related physical training per week. After the two months, activity varied depending on which branch of service the soliders served under.

It’s no surprise that overweight men who didn’t exercise before they started basic training saw the biggest changes. Those with BMIs from 25 to 30 (considered overweight) had a 20.5% decrease in fat mass and a 44.4% drop in visceral fat. Those in the obese range had a 24.9% reduction in fat mass and a 40.1% loss in visceral fat. In all groups, fat-free mass, lean body mass and skeletal muscle mass increased.

Men who were underweight or normal weight saw an increase in their fat mass, but visceral fat still declined. Researchers chalk that up to the soldiers’ high level of activity, which has been shown to help reduce adipose tissue.

The study’s authors recommend further research, but wrote, ‘The observed changes could improve the metabolic profile of the study population. It is not known, however, if and for how long these changes in body composition persist.’

-Jeannine Stein