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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Aug-17-06, 08:30
2bthinner!'s Avatar
2bthinner! 2bthinner! is offline
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Default Exercise shrinks abdominal fat cells

Exercise shrinks abdominal fat cells By Amy Norton
Wed Aug 16, 3:24 PM ET



Exercise may be especially helpful in reducing the size of fat cells around the waistline -- more so than diet alone, a study suggests. That's important, because fat specifically in the abdomen has been linked to the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Among a group of obese women who were placed on a regimen of calorie cutting alone or diet plus exercise, those who exercised showed a reduction in the size of fat cells around the abdomen. Women who only dieted showed no such change.

In contrast, both groups trimmed about the same amount from fat cells in the hip area.

The findings suggest that exercise may "preferentially increase" the body's breakdown of fat cells in the abdomen, said lead study author Dr. Tongjian You. It's possible, for instance, that hormonal factors cause fat cells in the abdomen and hip area to have different metabolic responses to diet and exercise, he told Reuters Health.

The bottom line for people trying to shed pounds is that both exercise and diet are important, and exercise may be particularly key in the ultimate distribution of a person's body fat, You said.

The researcher and his colleagues at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, report the findings in the International Journal of Obesity.

The study included 45 obese middle-aged women who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: one that cut calorie intake alone; one that cut calories and walked at a moderate pace three days per week; and a third that dieted and walked at a more intense pace three days a week.

After 20 weeks, all three groups showed improvements in their weight and body fat percentage. But when the researchers took samples of body fat from just below the skin's surface, the differences between exercisers and non-exercisers emerged.

Women in both exercise groups showed about an 18 percent reduction in the size of abdominal fat cells, whereas dieters showed no change.

Losing abdominal fat is more than a matter of fitting into a smaller dress. Research shows that people who are "apple-shaped" are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease than "pear-shaped" individuals, who carry much of their fat below the waist.

So people who include exercise in their weight-loss plan may lower their risk of such diseases to a greater degree, You said. What's more, he noted, even if people fail to lose a significant amount of weight with regular exercise, the changes in abdominal fat cells might still benefit their health.

SOURCE: International Journal of Obesity, August 2006.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060816...al_fat_cells_dc

At least SOMETHING does...
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Aug-18-06, 22:04
blastdoors blastdoors is offline
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I wonder if the results would be any different if the groups studied were comprised of men instead of women. Hopefully not, since running is my main form of exercise
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Old Fri, Aug-18-06, 23:05
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Turtle2003 Turtle2003 is offline
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Women in both exercise groups showed about an 18 percent reduction in the size of abdominal fat cells, whereas dieters showed no change.

Interesting that the moderate exercisers showed the same reduction in fat cell size as those who walked at a faster pace. I wonder if they lost the same number of pounds.


Edit: I found an article with a few more details on this study.

Abdominal fat is associated with metabolic syndrome, a cluster of symptoms that increases the risk for heart disease and diabetes. The syndrome is diagnosed when someone has at least three of the following: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low levels of high-density liprorotein ("good") cholesterol, high blood pressure and increased levels of sugar in the blood.

The current research studied a lesser-known risk factor for the syndrome - the size of fat cells just under the surface of the skin, known as subcutaneous fat.

"The size of these fat cells predicts type 2 diabetes, independent of whether the patient is obese," said You.

Earlier studies had shown that exercise can reduce fat cell size, but it is not known if the intensity of exercise matters during dietary weight loss. For the current study, all women had a deficit of 2,800 calories a week, either through dieting or a combination of dieting and exercise.

One group cut their calorie levels through diet, but did not exercise. A second group walked at about 1 to 2 miles per hour on a treadmill for 50 minutes three times a week. A third group also walked three times a week, but at 3.5 to 4 miles per hour for 30 minutes. Both exercise groups burned 400 calories each week through walking.

The women were provided food for their lunch and supper, which was selected by a registered dietician. Body size and weight, as well as total fat and abdominal fat cell size were measured both before and after the 20-week study period. The results showed that all groups lowered their fat mass, body weight (by 19 to 23 pounds), percent fat, and waist and hip girths (by 3 to 4 inches in hips and 4 inches in waists) to a similar degree.


If their diet was designed by a 'registered dietician' they were almost certainly not low carbing. I wonder what the difference would have been if they had been eating LC.


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/med...hp?newsid=49092

Last edited by Turtle2003 : Fri, Aug-18-06 at 23:22.
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