A new study from the University of Michigan reveals that people with obesity who exercise regularly have healthier belly fat tissue compared to those who don’t.
The research suggests that regular exercise helps the body store fat more effectively and in a healthier way, even if some weight is gained over time.
The study was published in Nature Metabolism.
The research team, led by Professor Jeffrey Horowitz from the U-M School of Kinesiology, found that long-term exercisers had belly fat tissue with better biological and structural features.
This makes the fat less harmful and helps reduce the risk of storing it in unhealthy places, such as around vital organs.
Horowitz explains that while exercise is known to burn calories, it also changes how fat is stored in the body.
People who exercise regularly for months or even years develop fat tissue that stores fat in a healthier way, which is important as most people naturally gain some weight as they age.
To conduct the study, researchers compared two groups of adults with obesity.
One group had exercised at least four times a week for over two years, with the average being 11 years. The other group had never exercised regularly.
Both groups were similar in terms of body fat, weight, and sex, making the comparison fair. The researchers took samples of belly fat from both groups, focusing on subcutaneous adipose tissue—the fat just under the skin.
They found that exercisers had more blood vessels, mitochondria (energy-producing structures), and helpful proteins in their fat tissue.
They also had less collagen, which can interfere with fat metabolism, and fewer cells that cause inflammation.
This is important because subcutaneous fat is the healthiest place to store fat. When the body has enough room to store fat there, it doesn’t have to store it in more harmful areas, like around the organs or in the liver, which can lead to serious health problems.
Horowitz emphasizes that the ability to store fat more efficiently doesn’t mean gaining fat. Instead, if a person gains weight, their body will store the extra fat more safely under the skin rather than in harmful areas like the liver or around the heart.
This is particularly important because unhealthy fat buildup in the organs, like the liver, can lead to diseases such as nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, which is becoming more common in people with obesity.
The researchers are now looking to conduct more long-term studies to track how fat tissue changes in people who exercise over several years. They also want to explore if certain types of exercise or intensities lead to better outcomes in improving fat tissue health.
This study highlights the long-term benefits of regular exercise, not just for weight loss, but for healthier fat storage and overall better health.
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