Physical Activity or Medications to Reduce Belly Fat?

How are you? The answer might lie in your abdominal fat, the composition of which could be a health risk signal.
How to reduce the fat? Some rely on medications, some on aesthetic treatments, and others on physical activity.
Specifically, both pharmacological treatments and physical activity have the effect of reducing abdominal fat and consequently slimming the waistline, but with significant differences.

Engaging in sports is the best way to burn fat.

A study from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has acknowledged that both pharmacological methods and an active lifestyle reduce the fat around the abdomen, which is considered responsible for many diseases, including cancer.
However, physical activity seems to have a more significant slimming impact.

After analyzing 2,500 cases, the study found that to achieve a reduction of 3 square centimeters of visceral fat, a weight loss of about 39.7 pounds would be necessary with pharmacological treatment, compared to approximately 30.9 pounds lost through physical exercise. In other words, with an equal amount of weight lost, not only do we become leaner and more defined through physical activity, but it also has a much greater influence on visceral fat – the type of fat located in the abdominal cavity and distributed among the organs.

This type of fat differs from subcutaneous fat, which is much shallower and harmful, as it can transform a healthy cell into a cancerous one.

It appears that visceral fat might be responsible for the production of fibroblast growth factor 2, the protein that converts healthy cells into cancerous cells.

Relying solely on BMI (Body Mass Index) would therefore not be sufficient to estimate the health benefits of weight loss. If the goal is to lose weight at all costs, not all paths taken may be healthy.

Engaging in sports burns the "worse" fats.

This research could open up a new frontier in weight loss therapies, which have thus far almost exclusively considered BMI, which, however, is incapable of indicating the type of fat affected by our lifestyle or pharmacological choices.

The Texas study indicated that fat distribution is important for health. There are two types of adipose tissue: subcutaneous and visceral fat – a deeper fat deposit. Research conducted on mice, which were fed a high-fat diet, discovered that the fat deposit produced more FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor 2), the protein that often transforms cells into tumors.

In the end, it seems that physical activity is the best way to lose weight, stay in shape, and, at the same time, maintain good health.
There is nothing that can replace its unique, unparalleled effect that makes us feel better and happier, as for adults, sports are like playtime for children!