Exercise more important than dieting in fighting obesity

Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center represented they research in which they tried to figure out what helps in reducing the size of abdominal fat cells that represent major risks in developing diabetes and heart disease.

A 20 week study helped them realize that cutting down on calories is not enough and that this action alone will not reduce the size of abdominal fat cells. Other life style changes needed to be taken.

Some other studies showed that it is exercise that can help in fat cell size reduction but it is yet not known if the intensity of exercise matters or not.
Since abdominal fat troubles more women than men, it is women who participated in the study. They were all obese. They were divided into three groups and all had a deficit of 2,800 calories a week, either through dieting or a combination of dieting and exercise. First group had their calories cut through dieting alone, the second group had to walk 1 to 2 miles per hour on a treadmill for 50 minutes three times a week and the third group had to walk three times a week, but at 3.5 to 4 miles per hour for 30 minutes.

Their meals were organized by registered dieticians. All women were measured body size and weight and total fat and abdominal fat cell size.
At the end of the study, the results were the following: all groups lowered their fat mass, body weight, percent fat, and waist and hip girths. However, the first group that didn’t need to exercise didn’t manage to reduce the size of abdominal fat cell at all while the exercising groups decreased of around 18% in the size of their abdominal fat cells. Both exercise groups burned 400 calories each week through walking.

Lets repeat that it is abdominal fat that represent risk factor for developing obesity-related diseases, so it is important to work at decreasing the size of the fat cells.
Scientists hope that exercise will be used as a part of a prescription for treating the health complications associated with abdominal fat.”