Hi Ikram,

I am in your camp, I too believe that running does make you leaner and that it doesn't stand alone, it is a combination of factors. I can support that with scientific research and physiological truths (what we know about the human body and it's physiological systems).

Onward to your article! Mr. Stephen Bleach is a writer for The Sunday Times (British) for the past twenty plus years. Most of his writing in about Travel, and he has won awards in this category. He is NOT a scientist, nor a researcher, nor an expert in fitness and nutrition.

The book; "Burn" you mention, is by Herman Pontzer, who is an associate professor of Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University in the United States. Mr. Pontzer is not an expert in fitness and nutrition, however he is an expert in hunter and gather tribes of the world, which includes research into their specific physiology and how it relates to their lifestyle.

You list "running expends 110-170 calories every 10 minutes" from a Healthline article (side note: not a great reference for exercise physiology based information). Huge range, because what one human calls "running" covers one mile in less than 8 minutes, yet most humans that say they "went for a run" were taking up to twice as much time to over that same mile! They are not running, they are doing something that approximates it. At best it is "jogging" and in my own neighborhood I would call it "a moderate walk with extra bounce" but they are gonna die if being chased by a bear.

The average person gains weight slowly. Sometimes we gain weight quickly, usually caused by a medication and/or disease that alters daily metabolic rate (slowing down how much energy we expend at rest). Reversing the weight gain is at best, at the same rate we gained, yet often it is slower. I have help thousands of humans (over 30+ years in fitness and nutrition) lower their body fat levels and maintain their ideal weight. It takes time and dedication, there is no quick solution in reality.