"Although moderate-intensity physical activity does provide numerous health benefits, such as reducing blood pressure and risks for systemic inflammation and type 2 diabetes, you (should) increase the intensity of your activity to lose weight unless you exercise more than an hour almost every day," lead author Dong-Chul Seo, of the Indiana University Bloomington's Department of Applied Health Science, said in a statement.

The findings, published in the American Journal of Health Education, said people who reported meeting the guidelines for vigorous physical activity were less likely to be overweight or obese.

But there was no such relationship between people who met moderate physical activity guidelines and their overweight or obesity status.

"Given the lack of evidence about the efficacy of moderate-intensity physical activity on reducing body weight, health practitioners need to be cautious against providing expectations that people could lose substantial weight by engaging in moderate physical activity," the authors wrote.