Aerobic Exercise: The Best Weapon Against Belly Fat
In the battle against the bulge, aerobic exercise is the most effective weapon for defeating stubborn belly fat and reducing serious health risks. The health benefits from aerobic exercise go beyond belly fat, however; you can reduce both visceral and liver fat and improve risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, things that resistance training fail to deliver.
A new study from Duke University Medical Center researchers found that aerobic exercise provided significant benefits over resistance training. The researchers studied the impact of both aerobic exercise (such as jogging), and resistance training (such as weight lifting), on the reduction of visceral and liver fat found deep within the abdomen that fills spaces between internal organs, and poses a series threat to health. Previous research has linked this type of fat to an increase in risk for developing such illnesses as heart disease and diabetes, as well as certain forms of cancer.
The eight-month study, recently published in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, involved 196 sedentary and overweight adults who ranged in age from 18 to 70 years. The subjects were assigned to groups who participated either in aerobic exercise, resistance training, or a combination of both.
Subjects in the aerobic exercise group achieved the equivalent of jogging 12 miles weekly at 75 percent of their maximum heart rate, with the use of a treadmill, an elliptical machine, or a stationary bike. Those in the resistance group completed three sets of eight to 12 repetitions three times weekly, while those in the combination group performed amounts of both types of exercise.
Findings revealed that aerobic exercise led to a significant reduction in visceral and liver fat, and improved such risk factors for heart disease and diabetes as insulin resistance, liver enzymes, and triglyceride levels, while resistance training did not. A combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training had similar results to those of performing aerobic exercise alone.
In a Duke news release, exercise physiologist and lead study author Cris Slentz stated, “Resistance training is great for improving strength and increasing lean body mass…. But if you are overweight, which two-thirds of the population is, and you want to lose belly fat, aerobic exercise is the better choice because it burns more calories.”
By the end of the study period, the aerobics group had lost about 2.5 square inches of belly fat, while the group that combined both aerobics and weight lifting lost just 1.5 square inches. The resistance training group achived no loss of belly fat. In addition, 67 percent more calories were burned by aerobic exercise than by resistance training.
Slentz pointed out that in regards to health risks, where fat is deposited in the body is more important than how much fat you have. In addition, he noted that what really counts is how much exercise you do, how many miles you walk and how many calories you burn. He says that if you choose to walk at a lower aerobic intensity, it will simply take longer to burn the same amount of unhealthy fat.
