At the Institute of Medicine some of the world’s top experts in human physiology just spent two days describing the difference physical activity makes in exquisite detail. In a word, for most people, that difference is good health.

You can find plenty of academic debate about how and how much exercise contributes to weight outcomes in obesity. As we’ve discussed before, the false belief that exercise is a great way to lose weight is alive and well. The truth that jumps out from these experts is that a definitive weight benefit for exercise by itself is tough to quantify. In reality, the best weight outcomes result from a paying attention to both food and activity.

But what’s easy to quantify is the benefit for health and quality of life. People live longer, feel better, function better, protect themselves from chronic diseases, and are generally happier when they’re active.

This public workshop, hosted by the IOM Roundtable on Obesity Solutions explored the role of physical activity in the prevention and treatment of obesity.

Often, obesity is thought to be the result of diet alone, and preventable through changing eating habits, or the types of food to which a population has access. Many responses to the obesity epidemic have focused on food and nutrition, and advocates from the local to the national level have responded by promoting healthy eating. However, there has been less of a focus on the role of physical activity in obesity.