Obesity phenotype and intra-abdominal fat responses to regular aerobic exercise

AimTo examine the effects of obesity phenotype on abdominal fat responses to regular aerobic exercise.MethodFifty-seven obese men aged 34–70 years were divided into two groups based on baseline intra-abdominal fat (IF) area measured by computerized tomography: moderate (<200 cm2) IF (MIF; n = 33, age: 52.9 ± 10.6 [SD] yr, body mass index [BMI]: 29.2 ± 3.1 kg/m2) or high (≥200 cm2) IF (HIF; n = 24, age: 53.5 ± 9.5 yr, BMI: 30.3 ± 3.1 kg/m2). The 12-week exercise program consisted primarily of aerobic exercise and met 3 days per week for 90 min per session. Weight, BMI, body composition (by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry), IF and subcutaneous fat (SF) areas were measured before and after the program.ResultsRegular aerobic exercise reduced weight by 2.3 ± 2.2 kg in MIF and 3.2 ± 3.0 kg in HIF. HIF reduced significantly more IF area than MIF (15.1 ± 26.0 cm2 in MIF and 43.3 ± 41.9 cm2 in HIF), and the difference remained significant after adjusting for baseline fat mass, weight change and total energy intake during the 12-week aerobic exercise.ConclusionExercise-induced IF reduction may be remarkably influenced by obesity phenotype.