Morbius said:
I stumbled on this video last night and found it interesting and credible. It referenced a number of studies to produce actionable tips for reducing visceral fat.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt6WaTBnj7E
tl;dr -- 45 minutes of Zone 3 aerobic activity 2x/week with adequate intake of carotenes (from colorful veggies) plus catechins (from green tea).
Thanks, Morbius.
I've included a number of studies here that all point to the same thing and, while there aren't any big surprises, seeing study after study all saying the same thing - something about that re-motivates me to try to fit in more cardio. VATloss is my primary goal.
Aerobic Exercise and Weight Loss in Adults: A Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-Analysis
More weekly aerobic minutes, more VAT loss. More vigorous exercise outperformed light or moderate intensity.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2828487
A dose-response relation between aerobic exercise and visceral fat reduction: systematic review of clinical trials
Another clear dose response of more aerobic volume led to larger VAT reductions in obese adults
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17637702/
A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effect of aerobic vs. resistance exercise training on visceral fat
Aerobic exercise outperforms resistance training for VAT reduction, but a combo is probably best.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21951360/
A systematic review and meta-analysis of interval training versus moderate-intensity continuous training on body adiposity
High intensity interval training vs moderate interval continuous training – both work and, when time-matched, have similar results. In other words, shorter bouts of HIIT are as good as longer bouts of MICT, meaning, choose what works for you.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28513103/
Aerobic exercise training reduces hepatic and visceral lipids in obese individuals without weight loss
RCT – obese adults used spin bikes and, despite not losing any weight, decreased visceral and hepatic fat. Go exercise.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19637289/
Dose–response effects of exercise and caloric restriction on visceral adiposity in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Diet helps with weight loss, but exercise – again, in a dose dependent way – uniquely reduces VAT.
https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/57/16/1035
Effect of low-volume interval training on whole-body, abdominal and visceral fat in adults living with overweight and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Even low volume HIIT (less high intensity work per session) out performed MICT (moderate intensity continuous training, aka working kind of hard for an extended period) in VAT reduction.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40999737/
Aerobic exercise training reduces epicardial fat in obese men
This one was kind of important in that, it didn’t just look at VAT, which everyone likes to talk about, but instead reminded us that fat can accumulate around the heart as well (epicardial fat), which is also reduced with aerobic exercise.
https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.90756.2008
A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effects of exercise training versus hypocaloric diet: distinct effects on body weight and visceral adipose tissue
Exercise and low calorie eating both help reduce VAT, but do so differently and once again, exercise is superior, even when weight loss is similar.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12406
TL;DR – No real rocket surgery here, but across meta-analyses and RCTs aerobic exercise reduces VAT better than any other intervention, with volume (total minutes per week) and intensity impacting it in a dose-dependent manner.
