Managing Cardiometabolic Risk

Exercise without weight loss and intra-abdominal fat reduction

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Race and intra-abdominal fat reduction with weight loss

Numerous cross-sectional studies have found that for a given amount of total fat mass, Asians have more intra-abdominal fat than Caucasians (55), who in turn have more intra-abdominal fat than African-Americans (56-58). Racial differences in intra-abdominal fat reduction may therefore be a possibility. Unfortunately, most of the current literature is based mainly on Caucasian populations, which hinders the identification of any possible racial differences. The limited evidence available suggests that Caucasians and African Americans do not differ in terms of intra-abdominal fat loss in response to a 20 week exercise intervention (51). More research is needed to pinpoint the influence of race on intra-abdominal fat reduction.

Abdominal obesity has long been identified as the phenotype that conveys the greatest health risk, independent of total body weight. Whether it is induced through exercise and/or diet, weight loss leads to a marked reduction in intra-abdominal adiposity. As little as 20 to 60 minutes of daily exercise or a 400 to 700 kcal/day energy restriction can cause a 10 to 30% reduction in intra-abdominal fat. For a given amount of weight loss, exercise can induce a greater relative reduction in intra-abdominal fat and better maintain muscle mass. Lastly, of key importance is the notion that total body weight needs not change for intra-abdominal fat to decrease significantly. The waist circumference tape may therefore be a more reliable marker of obesity treatment success than the bathroom scale.

Reference

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51. Wilmore JH, Després JP, Stanforth PR, et al. Alterations in body weight and composition consequent to 20 wk of endurance training: the HERITAGE Family Study. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70: 346-52.

55. Park YW, Allison DB, Heymsfield SB, et al. Larger amounts of visceral adipose tissue in Asian Americans. Obes Res 2001; 9: 381-7.

56. Després JP, Couillard C, Gagnon J, et al. Race, visceral adipose tissue, plasma lipids, and lipoprotein lipase activity in men and women: the Health, Risk Factors, Exercise Training, and Genetics (HERITAGE) family study. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2000; 20: 1932-8.

57. Lovejoy JC, de la Bretonne JA, Klemperer M, et al. Abdominal fat distribution and metabolic risk factors: effects of race. Metabolism 1996; 45: 1119-24.

58. Hill JO, Sidney S, Lewis CE, et al. Racial differences in amounts of visceral adipose tissue in young adults: the CARDIA (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults) study. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 69: 381-7.

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