Aerobic Exercise: The Best Weapon Against Belly Fat

In the battle against the bulge, aerobic exercise is the most effective weapon for defeating stubborn belly fat and reducing serious health risks. The health benefits from aerobic exercise go beyond belly fat, however; you can reduce both visceral and liver fat and improve risk factors for heart disease and diabetes, things that resistance training fail to deliver.
A new study from Duke University Medical Center researchers found that aerobic exercise provided significant benefits over resistance training. The researchers studied the impact of both aerobic exercise (such as jogging), and resistance training (such as weight lifting), on the reduction of visceral and liver fat found deep within the abdomen that fills spaces between internal organs, and poses a series threat to health. Previous research has linked this type of fat to an increase in risk for developing such illnesses as heart disease and diabetes, as well as certain forms of cancer.
The eight-month study, recently published in the American Journal of Physiology, Endocrinology and Metabolism, involved 196 sedentary and overweight adults who ranged in age from 18 to 70 years. The subjects were assigned to groups who participated either in aerobic exercise, resistance training, or a combination of both.
Subjects in the aerobic exercise group achieved the equivalent of jogging 12 miles weekly at 75 percent of their maximum heart rate, with the use of a treadmill, an elliptical machine, or a stationary bike. Those in the resistance group completed three sets of eight to 12 repetitions three times weekly, while those in the combination group performed amounts of both types of exercise.