Effects of Exercise Training in The Reduction of Visceral Fat: A Review

Abstract

The visceral fat is the accumulation of the fat tissue in the abdominal internal organs. It's a gelatinous fat mass that actually surround the internal abdominal organs, including the liver, pancreas and kidneys. Main purpose of this work is to search studies that focus on the effects of exercise training in reducing visceral fat mass. We searched in PubMed using these key words: exercise training, visceral fat: Filter used were; studies in the last 12 years; studies that were complete, free full papers, and studies that have used exercise interventions program for visceral fat. From 17 studies, only 4 were selected to be part of this research. Exercise intervention varied from 12 to 3 months. A total of 146 subjects 18 years + were enrolled in these studies. In general, all exercise intervention programs have been effective in reducing visceral fat and also improving insulin sensitivity and secretion. Other studies should be carried out on a larger scale, taking into account more age groups, alternative methods of addressing the issue, inclusion of various combinations of medication therapies, nutrition, and standardized and specific exercise regimens according to age groups.