Water Workouts Aid Weight Loss in Adults With Overweight

TOPLINE:

Participating in water aerobics for more than 10 weeks reduced waist size and aided in weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, a recent meta-analysis showed.

METHODOLOGY:

• Water aerobics is increasingly recognized as a beneficial approach for treating obesity, with the buoyant effect of water helping to reduce joint injuries commonly associated with exercise in individuals with overweight.
• Researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 10 randomized controlled trials to examine the effects of water exercises on body composition improvement in 286 adults with obesity or overweight aged 20-70 years.
• The participants were randomly assigned to either a water workout intervention group for at least 4 weeks or a control group that did not exercise or chose other ways of exercising.
• The types of water aerobics featured in the trials included Aqua Zumba, water yoga, aqua jogging, and aqua aerobics.
• Exercise sessions typically occurred two or three times a week, with the majority lasting around 60 minutes each; the duration of the interventions ranged from 6 to 12 weeks.

TAKEAWAY:

• Water aerobics led to significant reductions in body weight (weighted mean difference [WMD], −2.69; P < .05) and waist circumference (WMD, −2.75; P < .05) in individuals with overweight or obesity.
• Interventions lasting more than 10 weeks demonstrated greater effectiveness in reducing body weight (WMD, −3.31; P < .05) and waist circumference (WMD, −2.88; P < .05).
• Female participants and those aged 45 years or older showed significant reductions in body weight and waist circumference with water aerobic interventions.
• Engaging in water aerobics was not linked to a decrease in body mass index, lean mass, fat mass, waist-hip ratio, hip circumference, or percentage of body fat in this meta-analysis.

IN PRACTICE:

“The moderate certainty of evidence for [body weight] and [waist circumference] supports the use of [water aerobics] as an effective intervention for reducing overall body weight and central obesity, which are critical factors in managing obesity-related health risks,” the study authors wrote in a press release.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Ziyan Ding, Pukyong National University, Busan, Republic of Korea. It was published online on March 11, 2025, in BMJ Open.

LIMITATIONS:

Studies of registered or ongoing randomized controlled trials were not included in the search for articles, and only English-language publications were considered. The subjective nature of the Risk of Bias tools and GRADE system assessments may have influenced literature quality evaluation. Several studies had short durations, small sample sizes, and limited research data, with some participants dropping out mid-trial. Additionally, variations in age, sex ratio, and trial locations existed across studies.

DISCLOSURES:

This study did not receive specific grant funding from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.