Exercise Can Help Promote Healthier Belly Fat Levels

Feeling frustrated about that stubborn tummy despite your regular workouts? New research suggests that your exercise routine might be working in ways you didn’t expect.

A recent study reveals that exercising consistently can lead to healthier fat tissue in the belly area. This finding implies that even if you’re not sporting a six-pack, maintaining an active lifestyle contributes positively to your overall health.

Jeffrey Horowitz, a professor of movement science at the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology, explains, “Our findings indicate that in addition to being a means to expend calories, exercising regularly for several months to years seems to modify your fat tissue in ways that allows you to store your body fat more healthfully if or when you do experience some weight gain—something nearly everyone encounters as they age.”

In the study, researchers examined two groups of individuals with obesity. One group consisted of 16 participants who had exercised at least four times a week for two years or more. The other group, also comprising 16 individuals, reported no regular exercise habits.

Fat tissue samples were collected from beneath the skin in the belly area, identified as a healthier location for fat storage. According to researchers, fat stored under the skin carries fewer health risks compared to fat that accumulates around or within critical organs.

The analysis revealed that those who engaged in regular exercise exhibited notable differences in their fat tissue, which enhanced their ability to store fat safely beneath the skin. Findings included an increase in blood vessel formation, higher levels of mitochondria and beneficial proteins, reduced amounts of collagen that can hinder metabolism, and lower numbers of inflammatory cells.

Horowitz elaborates on the implications of these findings: “What it means is that if or when people experience weight gain, this excess fat will be stored more ‘healthfully’ in this area under the skin, rather than in the fat tissue around their organs or as fat accumulation in organs themselves, like the liver or heart.”

In conjunction with the study, laboratory experiments conducted on cells harvested from the exercising individuals demonstrated an improved capacity for those cells to develop into fat-storing tissue.

Researchers emphasized that more long-term studies are needed to monitor changes in fat tissue among individuals over extended periods of exercise.

The study findings were published in the journal Nature Metabolism on Tuesday, providing an important insight into the relationship between exercise and fat storage.

For those keen on understanding different types of body fat and their implications, additional information is available from health organizations like the Cleveland Clinic.

In summary, regular exercise appears to facilitate healthier fat storage in the body, potentially offering a protective mechanism against some of the health risks associated with weight gain as we age.

Source: HealthDay