Int J Obes (Lond). 2006 ;30:1211-6
T You, K M Murphy, M F Lyles et al.
The localised reduction of fat (also called spot fat reduction) is a desirable goal for many but has not been deemed biologically feasible. Doctors at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine (USA), however, may have the next best thing.
The group designed a study to determine if
i) a low caloric diet alone
ii) diet plus low-intensity exercise, and
iii) diet plus high-intensity exercise
could influence abdominal and buttock fat cells in obese individuals. The diet used produced a calorie deficit of 2800 kcal/week and the programme lasted 20 weeks.
Forty-five obese, middle-aged women (BMI=33.0, mean age=58 years) were recruited for the study.
Each subject underwent body composition testing and fat tissue biopsies before and after the interventions.
The size of the fat cells in the abdominal and buttock areas was determined by the biopsies.
Results:
All three interventions reduced body weight, fat mass, percent fat, and waist and hip girths to a similar degree. Diet only did not change the size of abdominal fat cells, whereas both diet plus exercise groups significantly reduced abdominal fat cell size. Changes in abdominal fat cell size in the diet plus exercise groups were significantly different from that of the diet group. Fat cell size from the buttock area decreased similarly in all three groups.
The authors concluded that addition of exercise training to dietary weight loss preferentially reduces abdominal fat cell size in obese women. This may be of importance for the treatment of health complications associated with subcutaneous abdominal fat.
