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Belly fat: What's the best way to get rid of it?

11 July 2016

Magazine

MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY

Muffin top, spare tyre, blubber, belly fat, beer belly - a multitude of names but they all
mean the same thing. Abdominal fat. And in the summer many turn to quick fixes to get
rid of it, writes Saleyha Ahsan.
The problem with belly - or abdominal - fat isn't just the way it looks on the beach. It could
be a sign that your health is at risk.
Belly fat is around our midriff - the subcutaneous fat that we are referring to when we ask
if you can pinch more than an inch and also the visceral fat around our organs, like the
liver, pancreas and intestines.
Last year I had an MRI scan which showed me the fat I had around my own organs and it
was a sobering moment. It can lead to adverse health effects.

Find out more

Saleyha Ahsan (pictured) is one of the presenters of Trust Me I'm a Doctor: Summer
Special, on BBC Two, Tuesday 12 July at 20:00 BST - catch up on BBC iPlayer
ADVERTISEMENT

Take the test: How can I lose an inch of belly fat in four weeks?
Visceral fat is believed to be more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat and has a
higher turnover. If you gain weight you put it on there first - and if you lose weight, you lose
it from there first. Although it is considered the more dangerous to our health, the good
news is that it is easier to shift than the subcutaneous fat. But the question is how.
On health and fitness websites you can see the promise of "spot reduction" of belly fat.
These are the quick-fix tricks that promise to help melt fat away. But how reliable are they?
The Trust Me I'm A Doctor team have done some experiments to finally get to the bottom

of it.

SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

There is no shortage of advice on how to lose abdominal weight

So how do you get rid of it? We recruited 35 volunteers along with two experts in the field
of exercise and diet.
All the volunteers carried abdominal fat which gave them waist sizes that put them in the
danger zone for type-2 diabetes and heart disease.
Fredrik Karpe, a professor of metabolic medicine from the University of Oxford, and Prof
Dylan Thompson, from the University of Bath, each had to come up with two methods to
try with the four groups, aligned with their own areas of expertise.
Before the experiment, each person had their health parameters taken. One of the most
crucial measurements was a DEXA scan - short for dual X-ray absorptiometry - to get a
really detailed picture of the amount of fat everyone had and where it was distributed.

ISTOCK

Other health parameters were measured - resting heart rate, blood glucose, blood lipids,
weight, blood pressure and of course waistline measurements.
Prof Thompson took on two groups for two types of exercises, while Prof Karpe took two
groups for two dietary interventions.
The first of Prof Thompson's groups wore monitors to check activity throughout the day
and the volunteers were told to eat as they normally would. He gave them simple lifestyle
changes to make them more active and increase their daily step count.
Prof Thompson's second group was given a classic internet belly-fat fix - sit-ups. Each
volunteer did six exercises three times each - every other day over the six-week period.

Sit-ups or stomach crunches

ISTOCK

Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart. Place your hands on
your thighs, across your chest or behind your ears. Slowly curl up towards your knees until
your shoulders are about three inches off the floor. Hold the position for a few seconds
and lower down slowly.
Don't tuck your neck into your chest as you rise
Contract your abs throughout the exercise
Don't yank your head off the floor
Source: NHS Choices
The third group, monitored by Prof Karpe, was given the task of following another popular
online belly fat reduction suggestion - consuming up to three glasses of milk (one litre) a
day.
There has been research suggesting that dairy consumption might promote fat excretion.
Fat comes out in the faeces rather than being absorbed.
The fourth group was the diet group. They were not told to change the type of food they
ate.
Their task was simply to reduce portion size, measuring foods with their hands and
fingers. They were also told to cut out snacks between meals. The aim was to make this
as easy to follow as possible - if people are given separate meal plans from the rest of the
family it can be difficult to follow and more expensive.
A dietician supported this group through the process, giving the volunteers coping

strategies if they were suffering from hunger pangs. She had individual sessions with
everyone at the start and continued to support them during the six weeks with phone calls.
At the end of the six-week period, all the participants were tested again on waistline, blood
cholesterol, blood glucose and blood pressure.

ISTOCK

The results were rather revealing. The first exercise group didn't lose any fat, but their
health markers vastly improved, with drops in blood pressure and one participant even
reducing their blood glucose levels from being in the diabetic range to normal.
The sit-up group didn't lose any weight and didn't get any healthier through their
parameters. But they did lose an impressive 2cm (0.8in) from their waistlines.
Prof Thompson explained that this was due to an improved core strength and the muscles
in the abdomen just holding their fat better. A bit like a muscle version of body-shaping
underwear. But a good core is beneficial for protection against lower back pain and
improves posture.
Turning to Prof Karpe's groups - the milk drinkers didn't show any change in weight or
health. However although they were being asked to consume an extra 400 calories a day
they didn't gain any weight or fat. Prof Karpe thought this might be to do with them being
too full from milk to eat as they normally do.

ISTOCK

The group that drank milk did not put on any fat, despite consuming more calories

The clear winner was the diet-control group. This group lost a collective 35kg (77lb)
between them which was an average of 3.7kg (8.2lb) each over just six weeks. Their
average waistline reduced by 5cm (2in).
The DEXA scan readings were the most interesting with 5% less body fat and an
impressive 14% reduction of the dangerous visceral fat inside the abdomen. This group
lost overall body fat as well as abdominal fat. They also saw improvements in the health
parameters.
But they did lose some muscle tone from their legs, which is not a good thing.
Thus, the conclusion is that if you want to bust the belly fat in a healthy and effective way,
it's the age-old advice of a combination of diet and exercise. Leave the fads where you
found them.
Follow @BBCNewsMagazine on Twitter and on Facebook
Trust Me I'm a Doctor: Summer Special is on BBC Two, Tuesday 12 July at 20:00 BST catch up on BBC iPlayer

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