If you’re wondering which is most crucial – diet or activity – in order to reach your weightloss goals, this info will help you.
Here are some basics for successful weight and/or fat loss, and most specially stubborn belly fat!
- you need a simple, executable plan that you can follow on a daily basis
- you need easily-recognized measureable goals
- you need a limited-time step by step process
- you need the support of a like-minded fitness/weightloss community
Consider the follow study:
Researchers at the University of Illinois have looked at how moderate amounts of exercise (e.g., 30-45 minutes of walking, 5 days a week), as well as the particular foods one eats, influence the amount of inflammation present in visceral fat (aka “belly fat”).
Why?
Because belly fat is now seen as a increasing health risk , an indicator and contributor to “Syndrome X,” or metabolic syndrome. The risks of metabolic syndrome go far beyond a roll at your waist . ”Belly fat” is particularly alarming because it yields inflammatory molecules that enter the bloodstream and increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
If you’re over 40, it’s time to get serious about reducing your abdominal fat. Not just for your belly , but to dramatically reduce your risk of chronic disease .
The study discovered that moderate activity can make the body more sensitive to insulin (insulin sensitivity), even without an alteration in diet. (If the body’s cells are not sensitive to insulin, then sugar levels are not ordered as they should be.) Exercise was also found to decrease fat in the liver and decrease inflammation in the belly fat.
“Scientists now know that obesity is associated with a low-grade total-system inflammation. Obese people have higher levels of circulating inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), which are produced and secreted by fat tissue. This inflammation then triggers the systemic diseases linked with metabolic syndrome, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” said Jeffrey Woods, a U of I professor of kinesiology and community health and faculty member in the U of I Division of Nutritional Sciences and the Integrative Immunology and Behavior Program.
The Illinois researchers, whose work was published recently in The American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, looked at the effects of both diet and exercise on inflammation of visceral fat in mice. Their study included a high-fat diet group to develop obesity. Six weeks into the study, mice were divided up either into a sedentary group, an exercise group, a low-fat diet group, or a group that participated in both exercise and the low-fat diet. The study was divided into 6- and 12-week increments so the scientists could examine both the short- and long-term effects of the interventions.
Interestingly, the results achieved by the combination exercise/diet group were not significantly better than those of the diet or exercise groups by themselves.
Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that the only truly significant increase in belly fat in the mice from 6 to 12 weeks was seen in the sedentary mice. This may suggest that exercise is an important lifestyle intervention that can help fight inflammation in the belly fat, even in the presence of a high-fat diet. The researchers stated that exercise could help prevent life-threatening diseases even in people with obesity, by decreasing inflammation.
A second study of sedentary older adults published in a recent issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity (BBI) reinforced these findings.
In that 10-month study, one group of sedentary older adults participated in three 45- to 60-minute cardiovascular exercise sessions per week, while another group centered on exercises to improve non-cardiovascular flexibility and balance for 75 minutes twice a week.
“At the end of the study, the ‘cardio’ group had lower levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), less belly fat, and improved general fitness than the ‘flex’ group,” said Ph.D. candidate Vieira.
“The lower CRP levels were partially mediated by the reduction in torso fat,” she explained.
The take-home message here: Even if you’re having a hard time lowering the fat and calories in your diet, you can still improve your health and possibly lower belly fat with even moderate amounts of exercise. Regular physical activeness could also help you with stress reduction, which may further help lower your risk of disease and could also help you to cut back on the nervous eating we often do in response to stress.