The Effectiveness of Futsal as a Game-Simulated Exercise for Promoting Weight Loss and Metabolic Health in Overweight/Obese Men

Background

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions across Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, where the 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey reported that approximately half the adult population is overweight or obese. Finding exercise modalities that are engaging, sustainable, and effective for weight management represents a critical public health challenge. Traditional prescriptive exercise programmes often suffer from poor adherence, particularly among men, who may find structured gym-based exercise unappealing.

Small-sided recreational football and futsal — the indoor, five-a-side variant of football — have gained attention as alternative exercise modalities. Previous research from Scandinavian countries demonstrated that recreational football elicits near-maximal heart rates during play and produces favourable metabolic and cardiorespiratory adaptations. However, whether these benefits extend to futsal among overweight and obese populations in tropical climates remained unclear.

Study Design

Eight untrained male participants (mean age: 29.5 ± 3.1 years; mean BMI: 31.2 ± 6.6 kg/m²) completed a 12-week intervention consisting of 4-a-side futsal matches played once or twice weekly. The study measured body composition, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (CHOL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), triglycerides (TG), and blood pressure at baseline and post-intervention. Participants rated perceived exertion using the CR10 scale, and hydration status was monitored throughout.

Body Composition Changes

The most notable finding was a statistically significant reduction of approximately 4.5% in body fat percentage (p=0.006), despite no significant change in overall body weight. This pattern — reduced fat mass with preserved or increased lean mass — is consistent with the known effects of high-intensity intermittent exercise, which stimulates both fat oxidation and muscle protein synthesis. The preservation of body weight suggests that some fat mass was replaced by lean tissue, a favourable body composition change not captured by simple weight measurement.

Metabolic Parameters

Contrary to expectations, no statistically significant improvements were detected in metabolic health parameters. Fasting blood glucose remained stable (5.5 ± 1.1 vs. 5.6 ± 0.9 mmol/L), as did total cholesterol (6.0 ± 1.1 vs. 5.9 ± 1.1 mmol/L), HDL (1.1 ± 0.2 vs. 1.0 ± 0.1 mmol/L), and LDL (4.1 ± 0.8 vs. 3.8 ± 0.9 mmol/L). Triglyceride levels actually increased post-intervention (1.9 ± 0.7 vs. 2.4 ± 1.0 mmol/L), although this change did not reach statistical significance after adjustment for multiple comparisons.

The absence of metabolic improvements may reflect the study’s small sample size, the relatively low training frequency (only one to two sessions per week), and the participants’ baseline metabolic values, which were not severely deranged. The intermittent nature of futsal means that exercise intensity varies considerably throughout a match, and the overall metabolic stimulus may have been insufficient to drive significant changes in blood lipid profiles within the 12-week timeframe.

Practical Implications

Despite the limited metabolic improvements, the study provides encouraging evidence that recreational futsal can be an effective tool for reducing body fat in overweight men. The game-based format offers several advantages over traditional exercise programmes: it is inherently social, competitive, and engaging; it requires no specialised equipment beyond a ball and indoor court; and the intermittent high-intensity nature of the game provides a varied stimulus that may prevent exercise boredom.

For public health programmes targeting obesity in Malaysia and the broader Southeast Asian region, futsal represents an accessible and culturally appropriate intervention. Malaysia has a strong futsal infrastructure, with indoor courts widely available in urban and suburban areas. The authors suggest that greater benefits might be achieved with higher training frequencies (three or more sessions per week) and by maintaining exercise intensities at higher levels throughout matches.

Limitations

The study’s primary limitation is its small sample size (n=8), which limits statistical power and generalisability. The absence of a control group means that observed changes cannot be definitively attributed to the futsal intervention rather than other factors. The study did not control for dietary intake, which may have influenced metabolic outcomes. Future research should employ larger samples, randomised controlled designs, dietary monitoring, and longer intervention periods to fully characterise the health benefits of recreational futsal for overweight populations.

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