What methods reduce visceral adipose tissue?

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Last updated: February 13, 2025View editorial policy

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From the Guidelines

Visceral adipose tissue can be reduced through regular physical activity and weight loss.

Methods to Reduce Visceral Adipose Tissue

  • Physical Activity: Regular aerobic exercise training has been shown to mobilize body fat, assist with weight loss, and alter body composition such as reducing abdominal adipose tissue in patients with hypertriglyceridemia 1.
  • Combined Physical Activity and Weight Loss: Moderate physical activity and a 5% to 10% body weight reduction results in up to a 20% reduction in triglycerides, which is associated with a reduction in visceral adipose tissue 1.
  • Endurance Exercise: A negative energy balance induced by endurance exercise has been shown to induce a rapid reduction of liver fat and VAT 1.
  • Diet: A negative energy balance induced by diet has been shown to induce a rapid reduction of liver fat and VAT 1.

Key Findings

  • Vigorous endurance exercise is associated with differences in visceral adiposity 1.
  • Women have less visceral adipose tissue than men, which may be metabolically protective 1.
  • A reduction in sedentary activity independent of increasing physical activity can produce weight loss and reduce visceral fat in children aged 7 to 12 years 1.

Recommendations

  • Adults should engage in at least 150 minutes per week of accumulated moderate-intensity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity to reduce ASCVD risk and visceral adipose tissue 1.
  • Increasing physical activity and reducing sedentary behavior can help reduce visceral adipose tissue in both children and adolescents 1.

From the Research

Methods to Reduce Visceral Adipose Tissue

Several methods have been studied to reduce visceral adipose tissue (VAT), including:

  • Diet-only interventions: However, the evidence suggests that diet-only interventions may not be as effective in reducing VAT, with a pooled effect size of 0.23 (95% CI = -0.22 to 0.68) (P = 0.311) 2
  • Exercise-only interventions: Exercise-only interventions have been shown to be effective in reducing VAT, with a pooled effect size of -0.85 (95% CI = -1.20 to -0.57) (P < 0.001) 2
  • Combined diet and exercise interventions: Combining diet and exercise has also been shown to be effective in reducing VAT, with a pooled effect size of -0.55 (95% CI = -0.75 to -0.39) (P < 0.001) 2
  • Aerobic training: Aerobic training of moderate or high intensity has been shown to have the highest potential to reduce VAT in overweight males and females 3
  • Pharmacological interventions: Pharmacological interventions have also been shown to be effective in reducing VAT, with a small reduction in VAT area (SMD, -0.27; 95% CI, -0.47 to -0.07; P = 0.02) 4
  • Injectable ice slurry: A new method using injectable ice slurry has been developed for selective reduction of VAT through cryolipolysis, showing promising results in animal studies 5

Key Findings

  • Exercise interventions have been shown to result in greater reduction in VAT relative to weight loss than pharmacological interventions 4
  • A preferential reduction in VAT may be clinically meaningful when monitoring success of interventions because weight loss alone may underestimate benefits 4
  • The Selectivity Index, which calculates the ratio of percent change in VAT to percent change in body fat, can be useful in comparing the ability of different interventions to specifically target the loss of VAT 6

References

Professional Medical Disclaimer

This information is intended for healthcare professionals. Any medical decision-making should rely on clinical judgment and independently verified information. The content provided herein does not replace professional discretion and should be considered supplementary to established clinical guidelines. Healthcare providers should verify all information against primary literature and current practice standards before application in patient care. Dr.Oracle assumes no liability for clinical decisions based on this content.

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