Playing football can help reduce male obesity

A new Scottish study has found that playing football can help obese men shed off the kilos and keep them off.

Initially, 748 overweight soccer fans were given healthy-eating advice and weight management tips during the study by Glasgow researchers, the BBC reported.

Then only half of the total men were invited to participate in a 12-week programme of training sessions at their local football club.

After a year of participation, researchers found that the 374 men had lost about 11lb each and maintained their reduced weight.

The researchers concluded that male-friendly weight loss plans work.

The study is published in the journal The Lancet.