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People who don’t exercise build dangerous fat among
their organs more quickly than previously thought, according
to a study.
Researchers looked at visceral fat, fat among the organs
that is often invisible but is linked with insulin resistance
(pre-diabetes), heart disease and other metabolic syndromes.
The study involved 170 volunteers who were grouped according
to exercise. One group got no exercise, another got small
amounts of moderate exercise (equivalent to walking 11 miles
a week), a third group got low amounts of vigorous exercise
(equivalent to jogging 11 miles a week), and a final group
got lots of vigorous exercise (equivalent to jogging 17 miles
a week).
It was found that volunteers who did not exercise had an
8.6 percent increase in visceral fat after eight months, while
those who exercised the most lost 8.1 percent of their visceral
fat during that time.
Women volunteers gained visceral fat twice as quickly as
men, according to researchers.
Researchers noted that the rapid increase in visceral fat
among sedentary overweight adults mirrors the increasingly
rapid rise in obesity in the United States. Currently, two
out of three adults are obese or overweight.
On a positive note, exercise was found to take the fat away
quickly. Volunteers who jogged for 17 miles each week had
significant decreases in visceral fat, subcutaneous abdominal
fat, which lies under the skin, and total abdominal fat.
50th
Annual American College Of Sports Medicine May 28, 2003
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