Doctor warns against bootcamps for overweight people
Overweight people should not think that military-style bootcamps are the answer to weight loss, as they may simply end up injuring themselves.That is according to Dr Ralph Rogers, consultant in sports medicine at the London Orthopaedic Clinic, who said in an interview with the Daily Mail that excessive exercise can cause injuries.
He said: "I would never recommend an overweight patient to do one of these military bootcamps. When you overload the body, the result is injury - anything from shin splints to back problems."
Doctor Rogers suggested that the competitive environment which is fostered at such bootcamps can exacerbate the problem as people feel they must carry on even if they may be hurt.
He also warned that bootcamps do not address the "psychological or nutritional aspect" which may have led to a person gaining weight.
People who have a genetic predisposition to obesity can reduce their chances of becoming obese by 40 per cent by taking part in regular exercise, a study published in Plos Medicine revealed.
Some 20,000 people were surveyed by the Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit in Cambridge and those who were most active gained the least amount of weight.
