Experiments on Losing Belly Fats

Belly fats isn’t just an aesthetic problem – it can be a sign of some serious problems to your health.

Abdominal fat is found around the belly. There is subcutaneous fat, which is what we know we have when you can pinch more than an inch in the belly. On the other hand, there is also visceral fat, which is found around organs such as the liver, pancreas or intestines.

Dr. Saleyha Ahsan was encouraged to try the most effective methods to burn abdominal fat.

It is believed that visceral fat is metabolically more active than subcutaneous fat. If you gain weight, the fat accumulates first around the organs and, if you lose weight, it is from that same place where the fatty tissue is removed in the first instance.

Despite being considered the most dangerous type of fat for our health, seen on the positive side, it is the easiest to eliminate. The question is how?

We constantly find ourselves on pages that promote a healthy lifestyle with solutions to reduce localized fat. There are tricks that allow you to see quick results but WHAT DOES é so reliable they are?

There are countless sources that advise how to burn abdominal fat.

Experiment

All volunteers had a level of abdominal fat that put them within the risk zone for type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Fredrik Karpe, Professor of Metabolic Medicine at the University of Oxford and Professor Dylan Thompson, of the University of Bath, were to design each, according to their area of ​​expertise, two methods to deal with the 4 groups that would be formed.

Before the experiment, a medical history of each of the volunteers was opened to take into account their state of health prior to the tests to which they would be subjected.

One of the most crucial measures was dual energy x-ray absorptiometry to get a detailed picture of how much fat each had and where exactly it was located.

Abdominal gauze is not just an aesthetic problem.

Other medical parameters that were taken into account were resting heart rate, blood glucose, blood lipids, weight, blood pressure and, of course, waist measurements.

Professor Thompson took care of two groups that he did two types of exercises. While Professor Karpe took care of the other two remaining groups he treated with diet.

The first group used monitors that recorded their activity throughout the day and were asked to continue eating as they normally did. In addition to that, they were given a series of simple indications that involved increased physical activity.

The second group was assigned a series of classic abdominal exercises normally found on the internet. Each volunteer had to do 6 different routines repeating each one 3 times daily for a period of 6 weeks.

Why do most diets fail?

One of the groups was set to do sit-ups.

Lying on their backs, with their knees bent, the soles of the feet on the floor, and the hands on the thighs, crossed over the chest or behind the ears, the subjects had to slowly raise the torso towards the knees, until that the shoulders are separated from the ground. Hold that position for a few seconds, slowly lower and repeat.

Do not press your neck against your chest while climbing.

Contract the abdomen while performing the exercise.

Do not throw your head abruptly on the floor when your torso is lowered.

Feeding

The third group, monitored by Professor Karpe, was asked to follow another popular advice that is online to reduce fat: consume up to 3 glasses of milk (one liter) a day.

There are studies that suggest that milk consumption can promote fat excretion.

The fourth group was the "controlled diet group". They were not asked to change the type of food they consumed. They simply had to reduce the portions and measure them having their hands and fingers as a reference.

This group was also asked to cancel the consumption of snacks between meals.

A nutritionist was constantly advising the group during the process. Especially when the volunteers felt that the amount of food they consumed did not satisfy their appetite.

The nutritionist had individual appointments with each of the participants at the beginning of the experiment and then continued to monitor and support them by telephone during the 6 weeks of observation.

Results

After 6 weeks, all participants were examined again. Waist measurements were taken, cholesterol, blood glucose level and blood pressure were measured.

The results were quite revealing. The first group, the one that continued eating the same but increased their physical activity, did not lose any fat, but their state of health improved considerably.

There was a decrease in blood pressure and there was a volunteer who even reduced his blood glucose level, going from being within the range of diabates to being in the normal range.

In the abdominal group, they did not lose weight and did not improve their health parameters, but lost 2 centimeters of waist.

Professor Thompson explained that the result was due to the strengthening of the muscles of the torso. What also generates prevention of back pain and helps improve posture.

Reviewing the results of Professor Karpe's groups, who were asked to consume 3 glasses of milk daily, did not show any change in weight or health status.

However, although they were asked to consume an extra 400 calories a day, they did not gain weight nor did their levels of adipose tissue increase.

According to Professor Karpe, it may have been because the volunteers, when filling with milk, did not eat as much as they usually did before the experiment.

The group that was asked to consume milk did not increase their fat level despite having consumed more calories.

The winner par excellence was the controlled diet group. Together they lost 35 kg, an average of 3.7 kg each in 6 weeks. In addition, on average each volunteer lost 5 centimeters of waist.

The results of dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were the most interesting. They revealed a 5% loss of body fat and an impressive 14% reduction in the dangerous visceral fat in the abdomen. This group not only lost abdominal fat but also the general level of body fat was also reduced.

The negative point was that they lost muscle mass in their legs.

Finally, the conclusion is that if you want to lose abdominal fat in a healthy and effective way you should combine a balanced diet with exercise routines.