Diet and exercise are the two most effective ways to combat and reduce unhealthy belly fat, a new British study shows.
According to researchers, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, in which diet and exercise play a key role, helps reduce harmful visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat.
The study, published in the Journal JAMA network openedfollowed more than 7,200 middle-aged adults in Great Britain for an average of seven years.
What they came up with was that those who ate a hygienic diet or exercised regularly experienced slower weight gain, including both subcutaneous and visceral fat, ultimately leading to a lower risk of fatty liver disease.
But those who don’t change their lifestyle are at greater risk.
Subcutaneous fat is the layer of body fat that lies directly under the skin and above the muscle.
It is often contrasted with visceral fat, which is considered an unhealthy fat that surrounds the internal organs deep within the abdomen.
The study found that people who ate well and exercised gained 1.9 kilograms less total body fat and 150 grams less visceral fat compared to those who stuck to their unhealthy lifestyle, reducing their fat accumulation by 7% and 16% respectively.
Dr. Nita Farouhi, one of the study’s authors, noted that the findings indicate that improving lifestyle habits in middle age is not only the key to weight loss, but also to lowering the risk of metabolic diseases.
She said: “Despite the challenges of living in an environment that promotes unhealthy eating and inactivity, there are gains to be made from making small, sustainable changes that lead to both healthier diets and higher energy expenditure.”
