Increased visceral fat is an important measure that increases risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain cancers. Visceral fat is increasing dramatically with age. Increased risk of disease may be largely prevented if the age related increase in visceral fat is prevented. Data shows that visceral fat is increasing over 200% in men and 400% in women between the 3rd and 7th decades.
Too little research is available to be able to identify what the optimal exercise program would be for preventing an age related increase in visceral fat. However, an argument can be made for resistance training being included in such a program. As little as 30–40 minutes of high intensity resistance training will help to conserve muscle. Aerobic training also has added benefits, including reduced blood lipids, increased energy expenditure, and improved insulin sensitivity.
Therefore, it can be argued that a combined program of aerobic and resistance training would be valuable for enhancement of fat distribution, decreasing risk of diabetes, heart disease and some cancers, as well as maintaining a high quality of life.
More information
Int J Body Compos Research
Published in final edited form as:
Int J Body Compos Res. 2010 Sep 1; 8(3): 103–108.
Age Related Shift in Visceral Fat
Gary R. Hunter, Barbara A. Gower, and Brandon L. Kane
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4018766/
Updated 20 May 2018, 27 October 2017
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