When people exercise, many aim to burn fat. Some commercial exercise machines even offer a “fat-burning zone” setting.
This setting often considers age, gender, and heart rate to suggest the best exercise intensity for burning fat.
However, researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai say that these machines might not be right.
What the Research Says
Hannah Kittrell, a Ph.D. candidate, and the study’s lead author, pointed out a concern. She said that many people rely on these “fat-burning zones” on exercise machines.
But, these zones haven’t been properly checked. So, some people might be working out in a way that doesn’t help them with their weight loss goals as they intend.
The team used advanced methods to study how the body burns fat during exercise. They focused on a term called FATmax.
FATmax is the exercise level where our bodies burn the most fat. This level is different for everyone.
The researchers studied 26 people. They wanted to see if the “fat-burning zone” on exercise machines matched the real FATmax for these individuals.
They found that, on average, the exercise machines were off by about 23 heartbeats per minute.
What This Means for You
If you’re trying to burn fat, don’t just rely on the “fat-burning zone” of exercise machines. These settings might not be accurate for everyone.
Instead, you might want to consider clinical exercise testing. This test can show your body’s personal response to exercise. This way, you can work out at the best intensity for your body and your goals.
What’s Next?
The researchers aren’t stopping here. They’re curious to see if giving people exercise plans based on their personal fat-burning levels can help.
They will study if this method leads to more weight loss and better health in general. This can help in fighting health issues like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease.
If you care about weight management, please read studies about diets that could boost your gut health and weight loss, and 10 small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain.
For more information about obesity, please see recent studies about low-carb keto diet could manage obesity effectively and results showing popular weight loss diet linked to heart disease and cancer.
The study was published in Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases.
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