Moderate Exercise May Be Belly-Fat Buster

Belly fat is dangerous. Not only is it unsightly and can cause your clothes to shrink at the cleaners, it puts strain on the body and releases molecules that travel throughout the body causing inflammation which has been linked with metabolic syndrome – the precursor to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

But new research has revealed that the inflammation caused by belly fat can actually be reduced by exercise alone.

A study at the University of Illinois looked at the effects of diet and exercise on mice. After fattening up the mice for 6 weeks, the researchers put them into four groups — diet alone, exercise alone, diet and exercise together, and a control group – then watched to see which group would lose the weight fastest. Of course, the assumption was that the diet and exercise mice would lose the most weight.

Wrong. Although the diet and exercise mice did lose weight the researchers found that brief, regular exercise helped the mice just as much as diet alone or diet and exercise. The exercise-only mice also showed less insulin sensitivity, less fat in the liver, and less damage overall.

Researchers point out that the exercise-only mice weren’t working out that hard — the equivalent of a human doing a 30 to 45 minute walk five days a week. If that modest amount of exercise can decrease or prevent the life-threatening diseases caused by obesity, we may all be a few steps closer to beating the danger of belly fat.

Researchers Find Gene that Turns Carbs into Fat

A team of U. S. researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, who are performing a study of the formation, development and storage of fat at the molecular level, made a surprise find.

One of the researchers isolated a gene, called DNA-PK, and found that it contributes to the body’s metabolic process in the liver, which is turning that plate of pasta directly into fat.

Typically, after a meal high in carbohydrates, the body’s blood glucose level becomes elevated, which triggers the secretion of insulin.  Excess glucose stored in the liver is then turned into fatty acids, which turn into fat.

This process has long been understood, but the exact molecular pathway had been a mystery.  Until now.The researchers determined that DNA-PK was acting as a signaling molecule in a metabolic chain-reaction in which insulin binds to liver cell receptors. To test their theory, the team bred mice with a disabled version of DNA-PK and basically carbo-loaded them.

The results?  These genetically altered mice were leaner and had 40% less body fat than the control group. Not only did these mice not get fat on a high-carb diet, but they also had lower levels of cholesterol, a major proponent of heart disease.

So what does that mean for us humans? Well, since humans and mice share this same gene, the researchers hope that the findings will help in the understanding of how the body metabolizes carbohydrates, how they contribute to obesity, and most importantly, lead to a drug that can prevent obesity.

Omega-3s May Protect Liver From Obesity, Study Says

You’ve probably heard that Omega-3 fatty acids are pretty much a miracle nutrient. They’re good for your heart! They reduce cholesterol! They give you whiter teeth and freshen your breath! Okay, just kidding about that last one.

But seriously, Omega-3s are good for you in lots of ways. And now, a study out of the University of Barcelona indicates that Omega-3 fatty acids can protect your liver from damage caused by obesity – especially with regards to insulin resistance.

Researchers zeroed in on two types of molecules found in Omega-3 fatty acids – protectins and resolvins – which are known to reduce fatty liver disease and insulin resistance in obese people. They studied four groups of genetically obese and diabetic mice and found that the livers of the mice that were fed a diet rich in Omega-3 fatty acids showed far less swelling and other damage than the livers in the other mice  – thanks, apparently, to all the protectins and resolvins they were eating.

The lesson here appears to be that – surprise! – healthy doses of Omega-3 can limit the damage to your health from obesity.

So, here’s the drill: Eat lots more fish, switch to canola oil, and lose that extra weight gradually to keep from blowing out your liver. Another victory for good health – thanks to nature’s miracle nutrient, Omega-3!