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Where Is the Fat?

Obesity is so common it is now the biggest health problem in the United States. The health risk is not only due to the amount of fat, but also where the fat is located. Studies have shown that fat in the upper body or trunk and fat in the abdominal area are the most serious problems. This type of fat adds to the risk of diabetes, heart disease, and death. Fat in the legs has little or no risk to health.

Researchers are looking for ways to reduce fat, especially in the abdomen. Studies of aerobic exercise show that it reduces abdominal fat in both men and women. A new study using resistance training show that this may be another good choice for women.

After 25 weeks of resistive exercises (three times a week for 45 minutes), abdominal fat decreased in older women. Older men lost fat throughout the body, but not in the abdomen. The exercises used were not just for the abdomen but also included arm and leg exercises.

Further study is needed to find out why men lost fat in other parts of the body but not the abdomen. Only one section of the abdomen was measured, so it could be that men lost fat in other parts of the abdomen that were not measured.

References: Gary R. Hunter, PhD, et al. Resistance Training and Intra-abdominal Adipose Tissue in Older Men and Women. In Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. June 2002. Vol. 34. No. 6. Pp. 1023-1028.

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