Study shows weight training reduces tummy fat

A new study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers has shown that 20 minutes of weight training done every day by healthy men helped lessen the age-related abdominal fat as compared to people who only spent the same time in activities like aerobics.

To achieve the optimal results pairing weight training with aerobic activity helped not just lose the weight but also trimmed the waist line.The lead author Rania Mekary, a researcher the institution's Department of Nutrition explained that aging is a process associated with sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass. Only relying on body weight was insufficient for the study of healthy aging. Measuring waist circumference proved to be a better indicator of healthy body composition among older adults. Engaging in resistance training or, ideally, combining it with aerobic exercise, could help older adults lessen abdominal fat while increasing or preserving muscle mass".

The study in Obesity was a long-term study with a large sample of healthy men with a wide range of body mass indexes (BMI).Frank Hu, Professor of Nutrition and senior author of the study, pointed out that the study underscores the importance of weight training in reducing abdominal obesity, especially among the elderly. To maintain a healthy weight and waistline, it is critical to incorporate weight training with aerobic exercise.