Reducing body fat is a goal for millions of adults worldwide. In the last year, studies indicate that almost half of American adults have tried to lose weight. Knowing what types of exercise work best is important to help those ready to make a change. And as an added bonus, most who lose excess body fat also lower their inflammation. This is because carrying high amounts of fat, especially around the waist, can worsen inflammation in ways that reduce quality of life.
Body fat is not just a depot for energy storage. Fat also produces and releases hormones. These are called adipokines, and they influence metabolism and inflammation by acting on your brain, liver and muscle cells. Pro-inflammatory molecules are released from both fat cells (adipocytes) and the immune system cells found within fat tissue.
The number and types of immune cells that reside in our fat leads some to consider fat tissue an immune system organ! This underscores the relationship between immune function and amount of body fat, and helps explain why those with more body fat tend to have higher inflammation.
Adipokines exist in a balance in the body and are involved in different processes. Some adipokines, like leptin, influence appetite and body weight. Others, like adiponectin, may protect against diabetes and heart disease. Most obese individuals have a pro-inflammatory adipokine balance that predisposes them to type 2 diabetes.
Those with higher body fat often experience metabolic dysfunction. This includes problems managing appetite or blood sugar, and research shows an imbalance of adipokines is involved. Specific types of adipokines released from fat cells cause chronic low-grade inflammation.
The fat on your arms and legs is less important for the inflammation issue. Instead, it is the fat around your organs that matters most. In fact, when we begin an exercise routine, some studies find that “only the reduction in trunk fat is significantly related to the reduction in [inflammatory markers such as] C-reactive protein.”
Short periods of inflammation are often necessary to clear pathogens or heal damaged tissue. Problems arise when we stay inflamed for weeks to months. These chronic forms of inflammation make us more sensitive to pain and can even cause the symptoms of depression. Exercise can help to ease depression symptoms, in part, by reducing visceral fat. And in the long run, chronic inflammation increases risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
Body Mass Index (BMI) and weight alone do not take body composition into account. The fat on your trunk is a much better indicator of metabolic function. Leg fat does not appear to indicate metabolic health, with research showing that leg fat does little harm to metabolic organs compared to the fat in the trunk.
Many weight loss studies use powerful scans to measure visceral fat, but an easier measure is waist circumference. And this measure is more accurate at predicting metabolic health than BMI or body weight.
Some good news is that visceral fat around the organs is very sensitive to exercise!
Fat stored around the waist is so sensitive to exercise that it begins to shrink even before changes on the scale become evident. When we attempt to lose weight by diet or exercise changes, studies show that exercise is far more potent at shrinking visceral fat. For instance, studies on over 4,000 obese individuals find that “in the absence of weight loss, exercise is related to 6.1% decrease in visceral fat, while diet changes show virtually no change (1.1%) in visceral fat loss.”
Waist reductions also indicate improved metabolic health, including better blood pressure and lower cholesterol. The data on visceral fat is so consistent that the International Diabetes Federation states that a large waist circumference is the unifying risk factor for those with metabolic syndrome.
Studies have tested which type of exercise training improves inflammation and waist size in normal, overweight, and obese individuals:
Why is this combo so effective?
Cardiovascular movements like walking, jogging, ellipticals, cycling, swimming and group exercise classes can help us build fitness and endurance. Cardio burns calories at a faster rate than stretching or lower-intensity forms of movement. This helps put us in a negative energy balance needed to weight loss.
Strength-building sessions can help you build a stronger skeleton and gain muscle, a tissue that can rapidly take in sugar and help you avoid high blood sugar. In fact, your muscles are the largest sugar sink in the body, capable of clearing about 80% of the sugars in the blood that occur after a meal! Plus strength training may help you retain muscle as you lose weight, adding to this winning combination.
Any kind of movement is likely better than none. Even low-intensity movements help us feel better! And short workouts also have health benefits. Every minute counts toward your healthier lifestyle!
Staying positive about your body while aiming for fat loss can be challenging.
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As Treo’s Global Wellness Researcher, Karlie uses recent research findings to support healthier daily habits. Karlie earned her doctorate in Neuroscience and Behavior and bachelors in Health and Exercise Science.
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