Cardiovascular disease, an umbrella term for many diseases involving the heart and vascular system, is responsible for the most deaths worldwide.
A major cause of cardiovascular disease is obesity, which can result in deposits of fat around the heart.
Fat around the heart is found in two places: the pericardium, the cavity surrounding the heart, and the epicardium, the layer of tissue closest to the heart.
What are the best ways to reduce or get rid of fat around the heart? A study.
In a study, researchers hypothesized that endurance and resistance exercise would be effective methods to reduce fat around the heart.
The results of this research were published in JAMA Cardiology.
The study looked at the best ways to get rid of fat around the heart, this included both endurance and resistance exercise and how much heart fat each was able to reduce.
Both epicardial fat and pericardial fat surrounding the heart were tested.
To be included in the study people had to be at least 18 years old, inactive, and have a waist-to-height ratio greater than 0.5, indicating abdominal obesity.
Various cardiac comorbidities excluded individuals from participating. The participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: endurance exercise, resistance exercise, or no exercise.
Before and during the trial, participants had cardiorespiratory and anthropomorphic measures taken, as well as cardiac (heart) fat measurements.
Three times per week for 12 weeks participants in the endurance exercise groups used a stationary bicycle to perform 45-minute high-intensity interval training, while those in the resistance group completed repeated medium load exercises for 45 minutes.
Endurance and resistance exercises get rid of fat around the heart
Fat around the heart – specifically epicardial fat – was reduced in participants in the endurance and resistance exercise groups by up to 9g respectively, whereas there were no changes among the no-exercise group.
Compared to the no-exercise group, pericardial heart fat was reduced by 34g in the resistance exercise group, but no significant changes were observed in the endurance exercise group.
Both cardiorespiratory fitness and muscle strength were increased in the resistance exercise group, whereas in the endurance exercise, only cardiorespiratory fitness increased, and no changes were observed in regard to muscle strength.
Both resistance and endurance were shown to reduce fat around the heart, but only resistance training reduced pericardial fat specifically.
The results suggest that the best way to remove fat around the heart is through resistance training, which targets two types of heart fat.
Unfortunately, the small sample size (39 participants) limits the ability to generalize the results, meaning that additional research including more participants would provide better insight into how exercise affects fat around the heart and which exercise is best at getting rid of the fat around the heart.
Reference: Christensen, R.H., Wedell-Neergaard, A.S., Lehrskov, L.L., Legaard, G.E., Dorph, E., Larsen, M.K.,…& Ellingsgaard, H. (2019). Effect of Aerobic and Resistance Exercise on Cardiac Adipose Tissues Secondary Analyses From a Randomized Clinical Trial.
JAMA Cardiology. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamacardio.2019.2074.
