Is there a secret to eliminating visceral abdominal fat? Study: Brisk walking three times a week can reduce insulin resistance and lose visceral fat

Do you always have a "swim ring" around your abdomen? Don’t underestimate the visceral fat that easily accumulates in the abdomen! In particular, excessive visceral fat can reduce insulin sensitivity and easily release substances that cause inflammation, thereby increasing the risk of metabolic diseases such as diabetes, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. To eliminate visceral fat, in addition to reducing sugar and wisely consuming fat-burning foods, moderate aerobic exercise is also a necessary shortcut. A study from South Korea found that brisk walking three times a week can actually reduce insulin resistance and help reduce visceral fat.

The body develops insulin resistance, which increases the risk of chronic diseases

Why does excessive accumulation of visceral fat cause the body to develop insulin resistance? It turns out that as long as there is fat accumulated around the internal organs, the body will begin to break down the visceral fat, and the free fatty acids produced when the fat is broken down will then enter the blood vessels, hindering the function of insulin to control blood sugar and causing insulin resistance. When the body develops insulin resistance, the cells in the body, especially the liver, muscles and fat cells, will become less sensitive to insulin, thereby increasing the risk of developing metabolic syndrome and the three highs such as hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.

Research: Brisk walking at 50-60% of maximum oxygen uptake can burn abdominal visceral fat and reduce insulin resistance

Since too much visceral fat can cause the body to produce insulin resistance, can we burn visceral fat through exercise and thus reduce insulin resistance? According to the British Daily Express, a study published by Dr. Hyun-Sik Kang and his research team from the College of Sport Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Korea, and published in the Journal of Exercise Nutrition & Biochemistry (JENB), pointed out that walking can not only reduce visceral fat, but also reduce insulin resistance.

The experiment involved 20 middle-aged obese women with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 (kg/m2) as subjects. They were randomly divided into two groups, an exercise group of 10 and a control group of 10. The researchers asked the exercise group to do brisk walking at an intensity of 50% to 60% of their maximum oxygen consumption, three days a week, for 50-70 minutes, burning about 400 calories per session, for 12 weeks. The exercise group did not do any other exercise except brisk walking; the control group maintained their sedentary lifestyle.

After 12 weeks of experiments, the researchers measured the glucose and insulin in the blood of all subjects. The results showed that the concentration of an inflammatory factor, interleukin-6 (IL-6), in the serum of the group that performed brisk walking exercise showed a significant decrease compared to before exercise, and the concentration of adiponectin in the serum was significantly increased. In addition, the blood sugar, weight and body fat data of the exercise group also showed a significant decrease.

Increased serum adiponectin concentration helps reduce the body's insulin resistance

So why does brisk walking reduce insulin resistance? The researchers observed cytokines related to insulin resistance in the subjects' serum, including adiponectin and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Adiponectin is produced and secreted by fat cells and is related to maintaining the balance of blood sugar and lipids.

Once the concentration of adiponectin in the serum is too low, the body's ability to metabolize glucose will be reduced and the body will develop insulin resistance. At this time, if there is too much glucose in the blood, it will be stored as a large amount of fat by insulin and cause obesity, which in turn increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, dyslipidemia, coronary heart disease and other diseases.

The more fat tissue, especially visceral fat tissue, there is in the human body, the lower the concentration of adiponectin in the serum will be. At the same time, the secretion of interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory factor in the body, will also increase. Can we reduce visceral fat through exercise to increase the concentration of adiponectin in the serum and thus reduce the incidence of insulin resistance-related diseases?

The results of the study indicate that 12 weeks of walking exercise can effectively improve insulin resistance in obese middle-aged women. That is, regular exercise and enhanced cardiopulmonary function can reduce the morbidity and mortality of cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome.

Study: Brisk walking can reduce the incidence of metabolic syndrome and help prevent type 2 diabetes

The results of this study show that by engaging in moderate-intensity brisk walking exercise, insulin sensitivity can be maintained, the incidence of metabolic syndrome can be reduced, and the occurrence of type 2 diabetes can be effectively prevented.

Compared to weight training or other high-intensity exercises, brisk walking is a relatively safe exercise that can help the body burn abdominal fat effectively, and help increase leg muscle strength and blood circulation. Therefore, if you want to get rid of abdominal fat that is harmful to your body, you might as well brisk walk 3 days a week. In the long run, it can help reduce overall fat and stay away from the three highs!