Nordic Walking for Overweight and Obese People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: Nordic walking (NW) is a potentially beneficial exercise strategy for overweight and obese people. To date, no reviews have synthesized the existing scientific evidence regarding the effects of NW on this population. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to identify the characteristics, methodological quality, and results of the investigations that have studied the effects of NW in overweight and obese individuals. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched up to June 2019 for studies that examined the effects of NW on people with a body mass index ≥ 25 kg/m2. The methodological quality of the included randomized controlled trials was retrieved from the physiotherapy evidence database or evaluated using the physiotherapy evidence database scale. Results: Twelve studies were included in the review. The investigations were mostly good-to-fair methodological quality. NW groups had a significant improvement on parameters such as fasting plasma glucose, abdominal adiposity, and body fat compared with the baseline, but no significant improvements were found when compared with control groups. Conclusions: NW can potentially lead to improvements in parameters related to major health outcomes in overweight and obese people. The lack of control for confounding variables in the analyzed studies prevents further elaboration on its potential benefits.

An Intervention of 12 Weeks of Nordic Walking and Recreational Walking to Improve Cardiorespiratory Capacity and Fitness in Older Adult Women

“…This minimal difference in energy expenditure could explain how RW obtained slightly better results in the current study, underlining that NW has also shown improvements in this regard. These results are not in line with the fact that energy expenditure is higher in the NW pattern, and this would mean a greater body mass loss [ 28 , 45 ].…”

Impact of 12-Week Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Training on Inflammasome Complex Activation in Elderly Women

“…On the contrary, Mejias-Pena et al (2016) did not record any change in the expression of TLR2, TLR4, MyD88, and TRIF, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from older subjects after 8 weeks of aerobic exercise training, suggesting the possibility that the type of exercise might be a determinant of the TLRs-mediated anti-inflammatory effect of exercise. The lack of control for confounding variables, in the available studies, prevents a definitive elaboration on potential benefits of this interventional practice, according to a recently published systematic review ( Sanchez-Lastra et al, 2020 ). However, Nordic walking is a potentially beneficial exercise strategy for overweight and obese people.…”

“…However, Nordic walking is a potentially beneficial exercise strategy for overweight and obese people. Based on the twelve good-to-fair quality selected studies, the authors of this study evidenced that subjects performing Nordic walking experienced significant improvement in parameters such as fasting plasma glucose, abdominal adiposity, and body fat compared with the values recorded at baseline, but no significant improvements were found when compared with control groups ( Sanchez-Lastra et al, 2020 ). Notably, adiposity in the elderly may be associated with a deregulated glucose metabolism, and hence to an increased risk of T2DM, via a deregulation of immune cells and, specifically of CD8+ cytotoxic subsets ( Bosslau et al, 2021 ).…”

A socio-ecological approach to reduce the physical activity drop-out ratio in primary care-based patients with type 2 diabetes: the SENWI study protocol for a randomized control trial

“…glucose control, cardio-respiratory fitness, flexibility and upper-body strength) than merely walking [ 25 , 26 ], and it is easier to perform than high-intensity interval training [ 27 ]. However, although NW seems to be more enjoyable than simply walking, the PA drop-out ratio remains high [ 24 ].…”