Trimming the fat cells

August 16th, 2006

Here’s some good news for those who are contemplating trimming some of that excess weight by taking up an exercise programme.

It appears that not only does exercise help you slim, it helps your abdominal fat cells trim down as well!

This comes from research in the United States that compared the sizes of abdominal fat cells in women who dieted and exercised with women who just dieted without undertaking an exercise programme. The fat cells in the exercising women reduced in size, whilst those in the other group maintained their pre diet size.

“Its obvious”, you might say - exercise was reducing the overall fat content of the women. However, apparently this is not the case as fat cells in the ladies hips, in both groups, remained the same. Exercising was preferentially reducing the sizes of the abdominal cells.

Whilst it might seem trivial, actually this may have implications for our health as it is generally known that those with abdominal fat (the so called “apple shaped” profile) have a greater risk of developing diabetes and heart disease than those who deposit fat on their hips (the “pear shaped” physique).

So we have yet another reason to become, and remain, active, though I must admit that I’ve never given the size of my fat cells much thought, which is probably just as well!

Entry Filed under: Healthy Lifestyles