Obesity is a well-known risk factor for numerous health conditions, including heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
Research has specifically identified belly fat as being particularly harmful to people’s health. However, reducing belly fat is a challenging task that often requires significant effort.
The Study and Its Findings
In a recent study, researchers developed a 10-week personalized, progressive, vigorous-intensity interval training program aimed at reducing belly fat. The study specifically focused on older, obese men.
Participants of the study were drawn from the Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI), an ongoing research project in northern Sweden.
The exercise group partook in a 10-week-long progressive exercise program beginning in February 2018. The program featured short, supervised training sessions three times per week in a group setting.
The exercises were body-weight training exercises, requiring minimal equipment, starting at 18 minutes per session.
The training duration gradually increased to 36 minutes per session, alternating between exercise and rest periods in a ratio of 40/20 (for instance, 40 seconds of work and then 20 seconds of rest).
A control group of 36 participants maintained their regular daily activities and routines during the study.
The results indicated that the exercise group decreased their fat mass by nearly two pounds and gained about one pound of muscle compared to the control group.
Furthermore, the exercise group showed a nearly tripled decrease in total fat mass compared to the control group.
Significantly, the exercise regimen resulted in a significant reduction in belly fat among the male participants, though this effect was not observed in the female participants.
Implications and Recommendations
The researchers concluded that 10 weeks of vigorous-intensity interval training could improve body composition in older adults with belly fat.
The easily performable exercises, designed for a home environment without the need for expensive gym equipment, could potentially be applied to various settings and population groups.
The study, conducted by the Healthy Aging Initiative (HAI), was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
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