Exercise has many benefits and new findings at St. Louis University is finding out even more ways that exercise is beneficial to health. Studies have found that exercise can reduce the amount of fat stored in muscle and around organs better than just watching calories. This kind of fat makes up 50% of body fat! By combining a healthy diet and exercise, it also shows that diabetes and heart disease risk are cut down.
To reach optimal health, a low-calorie diet paired with exercise is crucial, says Edward Weiss, assistant professor in the department of nutrition and dietetics at St. Louis University.
The study concentrated on these types of fat:
- Intermuscular fat - this is deposited between muscle fibers and makes up about 10% of body fat
- Visceral fat - this is around organs and behind muscles and makes up about 10% of body fat
- Subcutaneous fat - this is just below the skin, the kind you can pinch. This makes up about 50% of body fat
The study had three groups, all people free of diabetes and cardiovascular problems, aged 45 to 65 and with BMIs of under 30. The people in groups focused on the following:
- exercise only
- eating less
- exercise and eating less
Although calorie reduction is still the number one priority of weight loss, this study shows the beneficial effect of exercise on body composition during weight loss, says Dr. Samuel Klein, a professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine and head of the school's Weight Management Program. Those who exercised and dieted did better than the other 2 groups because they lost more body fat "in areas that were associated with metabolic abnormalities." he says. Weight loss is very hard work and it takes more than 20 minutes a day of exercise to see weight loss results. Over one year and paired with a calorie reduced diet, subjects were able to lose more of the troublesome fat, cutting their risk for certain diseases.
Remember that any exercise is better than none and weight loss is a journey not a sprint!
Reference:
Jackson, Harry. Studies Show Exercise is best way to reduce certain types of body fat. 20 January 2012. http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/health-med-fit/fitness/studies-show-exercise-is-best-way-to-reduce-certain-types/article_af9ca52b-10d7-5292-8a11-86662ebfbee3.html#ixzz1kxktpqnL. 30 January 2012.
