Dear Dr. Gott: My 12-year-old son has been bugging me to get him a Nintendo Wii. He reasons that it is not like other gaming systems because body movement is required to play the games, thus he will be exercising while playing video games.

I am hesitant to get him the system because I don't really believe that one can exercise while playing video games. In your opinion, does a Nintendo Wii provide adequate exercise, or is going outside and playing sports and such better? Please help so I can end this battle once and for all!

Reply: The answer depends on how the games are played.

The American Council on Exercise (ACE) did a study on just how many calories are burned playing certain Wii games (before the Wii Fit was introduced). The study was carried out by a team of exercise scientists at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse Exercise and Health Programme. They used 16 healthy volunteers between the ages of 20 and 29. They tested five games – golf, bowling, baseball, tennis and boxing. While game play was possible with minimal movement, participants were encouraged to move as if they were playing the actual sport.

Results showed that heart rate and oxygen intake increased and calories were burned. Wii sports burned fewer calories than the actual sport, which was to be expected. Golf and bowling burned the fewest calories (three and four calories per minute, respectively), while tennis and boxing topped the list at five and seven calories per minute. Golf burned about 1 fewer calorie per minute than the actual sport, and the other four sports burned about three fewer calories per minute.

The study's conclusion is that while playing Nintendo Wii is not as good as going out and playing the real thing, it is much better than standard video games. The key is to simulate the actual movements as much as possible. You can read more about the study and results in the July/August 2008 issue of Fitness Matters or online at www.acefitness.org/getfit/studies/WiiStudy.pdf. ACE is also conducting a study on the Wii Fit, which takes users through several different exercises, such as stretching, yoga and more. I will provide a follow-up once the results are in.

Encourage your son to get as much outside physical activity as possible, but for days that are rainy, cold or snowing, the Nintendo Wii seems to be a viable option for getting exercise.

Before I get truckloads of complaints and criticism over this, I would like to reiterate that I am in no way being paid or otherwise compensated for providing endorsement of the any product, including the Nintendo Wii. Fresh air and exercise are vital to a healthful lifestyle, and, when that isn't possible, this game system seems to be a good alternative, especially as a means of countering childhood obesity.

Dr. Gott is a retired physician and the author of 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet' and 'Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook'. Contact him c/o United Media, 200 Madison Avenue., fourth floor, New York, New York 10016.