Exercise Keeps Dangerous Visceral Fat Away a Year After Weight Loss

	Tweet

A study conducted by exercise physiologists in the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Human Studies finds that as little as 80 minutes a week of aerobic or resistance training helps not only to prevent weight gain, but also to inhibit a regain of harmful visceral fat one year after weight loss.

The study was published online Oct. 8 and will appear in a future print edition of the journal Obesity.

Unlike subcutaneous fat that lies just under the skin and is noticeable, visceral fat lies in the abdominal cavity under the abdominal muscle. Visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat because it often surrounds vital organs. The more visceral fat one has, the greater is the chance of developing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. 

In the study, UAB exercise physiologist Gary Hunter, Ph.D., and his team randomly assigned 45 European-American and 52 African-American women to three groups: aerobic training, resistance training or no exercise. All of the participants were placed on an 800 calorie-a-day diet and lost an average 24 pounds. Researchers then measured total fat, abdominal subcutaneous fat and visceral fat for each participant.

Afterward, participants in the two exercise groups were asked to continue exercising 40 minutes twice a week for one year. After a year, the study’s participants were divided into five groups: those who maintained aerobic exercise training, those who stopped aerobic training, those who maintained their resistance training, those who stopped resistance training and those who were never placed on an exercise regimen.

“What we found was that those who continued exercising, despite modest weight regains, regained zero percent visceral fat a year after they lost the weight,” Hunter said. “But those who stopped exercising, and those who weren’t put on any exercise regimen at all, averaged about a 33 percent increase in visceral fat.”

“Because other studies have reported that much longer training durations of 60 minutes a day are necessary to prevent weight regain, it’s not too surprising that weight regain was not totally prevented in this study,” writes Hunter. “It’s encouraging, however, that this relatively small [amount] of exercise was sufficient to prevent visceral fat gain.”

The study also found that exercise was equally effective for both races.

About the UAB Department of Human Studies
The UAB Department of Human Studies, housed in the School of Education, offers programs in counselor education, health education, community health, physical education, exercise science and fitness leadership. To learn more, visit the Web site at http://www.ed.uab.edu/humanstudies/.

Source:  University of Alabama at Birmingham

RELATED STORIES:
Weight Loss Can be Contagious, Study Suggests   Toss Cravings, Lose Weight   Anti-obesity drugs with a modified lifestyle helps weight loss -new study   Dieting with the denomination, determination   Device makers urge coverage of weight-loss surgery   Frequent eating tied to less weight gain in girls   Pick Up the Cell Phone, Drop the Pounds   FDA takes aim at “unproven” HCG weight-loss brands   Nervous system activity may predict successful weight loss   Mid-Morning Snacking May Sabotage Weight-Loss Efforts   Safety data favors less-invasive weight-loss surgery   Exploring The Role Of Endoscopy In Treating Obesity

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]