Over the last few years, research has shown that having too much visceral fat can be very harmful to a person’s health.
Past studies have shown that having an unhealthy amount of visceral fat may increase a person’s risk of several health conditions.
A new study found that improving both diet and exercise levels simultaneously may be more effective in preventing weight gain, particularly of visceral fat.
Over the last few years, research has shown that having excessive visceral fat — the fat surrounding the abdominal area that protects internal organs — can be detrimental to a person’s health.
Past studies show that having an unhealthy amount of visceral fat may increase a person’s risk for several health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseTrusted Source, cardiovascular disease, stroke, sleep apnea, cancerTrusted Source, and Alzheimer’s diseaseTrusted Source.
For this study, researchers analyzed the health data of more than 7,000 study participants in the U.K.-based Fenland study.
Study participants were at an average age of about 49 at the start of the Fenland study, which followed participants for an average of 7 years.
Participant follow-up included measuring physical activity energy expenditure for at least 72 hours, a DEXA scan to assess body fat, and an evaluation of participants’ adherence to the Mediterranean diet.
“Most long-term studies look at diet and physical activity separately, but people do not live their lives in isolated behaviors,” Aryannezhad said. “Evidence shows that clearer and more consistent links with health outcomes appear when we assess changes in both behaviors at the same time.”
“This may be because people often make compensatory changes,” he added. “For example, becoming more active may lead someone to eat more, or vice versa. Studying the behaviors together gives a more realistic understanding of how they influence long-term adiposity.”
