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I’m not one to believe every study that is mentioned in the news ESPECIALLY if they are talking about Black health in comparison to Whites. We always seem to get the short end of the stick in those studies if we are even apart of them. With that being said, I wanted to share this study that was done regarding black women working out and the effects of it on our bodies.
Now, let me ALSO say that I feel the BMI or the Body Mass Index, is different for black women and I don’t feel that science has caught on to that yet. We are being rated on scales with white women and sorry but our bodies are NOT the same! To me being on the same BMI scale with whites or other races is just another way to say Black women come up short. Yes, I really feel that way.
Nonetheless, I’m sharing this study with you and would really like your take on it.
“In a dispiriting finding for African American girls and women, a new study finds that while engaging in high levels of physical activity is a good bet for preventing obesity in white adolescent girls, it does not give their black peers the same benefit.
The study, published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, found that among black adolescent girls who moved the most at age 12, obesity at age 14 was nearly as likely as it was for those whose activity rates were far lower.
For white girls, by contrast, regular exercise at 12 appeared a nearly sure way to head off obesity at 14. That finding held, even when the calorie intakes of an African American youngster and her white counterpart were the same.
The authors, a pair of British researchers using data from a government health study that followed American adolescents for several years, said their findings pointed to a significant metabolic disadvantage for African American girls hoping to maintain a healthy weight. They concluded that “obesity-prevention interventions may need to be adapted to account for the finding that black girls are less sensitive to the effects of physical activity” than their white sisters. LA Times
I’m not sold on the idea that exercise doesn’t ‘work’ as well on us nor am I a believer that Black women can only be measured for obesity using the BMI which was one of the indicators they used for this study. I’m standing along with Brande Victorian, a Blogger and writer for MadameNoire.com who also wrote about this study:
“BMI has long been a controversial indicator of health and obesity for black women so it’s important to take this finding with a grain of salt, realizing that exercise is in fact still beneficial for black women and that BMI is not the only measure of it’s positive effects on your overall health.” Brande Victorian
Let’s not fall for all the negativity Naturals and keep on doing what works for you. You can read the rest of the article in the LA times below:
Stay strong and healthy Naturals,
Sabrina
Interesting. I happen to agree with you about the BMI scale.
It needs to be revamped or several types for different body types.
What white people eat and have eaten for centuries is not the same as what black people have eaten. I believe this diet difference is exactly why black women and white women do differ when it comes to exercise and weight between the two groups.
I just find this study unnecessary, in a sense that the money and resources could have been used for more important stuff. Black women do exercise and eat healthily and I've seen many do that with success.
Good points. We do eat differently although I find that in recent times we are eating many similar ways. As far as money going to better studies…I couldn't agree more. Cure some of these diseases or find better ways to indicate body size instead of the BMI which is supposed to be for everyone.