Can Exercise Make Your Belly Fat Healthier?
Not all belly fat is created equal. Subcutaneous fat, the soft fat that sits under the skin, is generally seen as less harmful than visceral fat, which collects deeper in the abdominal cavity and surrounds internal organs like the liver and kidneys. Visceral fat can increase insulin resistance and raise diabetes risk. Now, new research published on September 10 in Nature Metabolism suggests that regular long-term exercise could improve how the body stores fat.
Researchers from the University of Michigan found that people with overweight and obesity who exercised regularly for at least two years had a greater capacity to store fat subcutaneously compared to a cohort with overweight and obesity who did not exercise. This means exercisers could have a lower risk of accumulating more harmful visceral fat, regardless of weight gain.
“While abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (aSAT) and visceral fat contribute differently with overlaps to metabolic functions and balance, visceral fat is always more dangerous due to its hormonal activity, potential to cause dyslipidemia, and tendency to make clots,” Jagdish Khubchandani, PhD, a professor of public health at New Mexico State University, told Healthline. Khubchandani wasn’t involved in the study.
Excerpted from Healthline
