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For workplace wellness programs, addressing obesity concerns can be an important component. Many programs involve multiple strategies. Many emphasize exercise and good diet.

But in a busy workday, finding time to exercise and the energy to maintain a good diet can be hard. An interesting, if not surprising, new report from the UK suggests where to put more effort, if workers (or any individual) has limited capacity.

An editorial in the British Journal of Sports Medicine boldly states: “It is time to bust the myth of physical inactivity and obesity: you cannot outrun a bad diet.”

The piece begins: “A recent report from the UK's Academy of Medical Royal Colleges described ‘the miracle cure’ of performing 30 min of moderate exercise, five times a week, as more powerful than many drugs administered for chronic disease prevention and management.1 Regular physical activity reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers by at least 30%. However, physical activity does not promote weight loss.”

“In the past 30 years, as obesity has rocketed, there has been little change in physical activity levels in the Western population.2 This places the blame for our expanding waist lines directly on the type and amount of calories consumed. However, the obesity epidemic represents only the tip of a much larger iceberg of the adverse health consequences of poor diet.”

BBC News reported on the editorial, writing that the experts “said while activity was a key part of staving off diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia, its impact on obesity was minimal. Instead excess sugar and carbohydrates were key.”

The piece continues: “They even likened their tactics as ‘chillingly similar' to those of Big Tobacco on smoking and said celebrity endorsements of sugary drinks and the association of junk food and sport must end.”

Said London cardiologist Dr Aseem Malhotra: “You cannot outrun a bad diet.”