Key result
Combined exercise and diet shows no benefit over diet alone for reducing visceral fat.
Why the study?
The growing prevalence of obesity has increased interest in targeting ectopic fat reduction, as ectopic fat accumulation is linked to metabolic dysfunction.
Does combined exercise training and dietary interventions reduce ectopic fat in adults with overweight and obesity compared to dietary interventions alone?
Meta-Analysis (n=1,488)
Does combined exercise training and dietary interventions reduce ectopic fat in adults with overweight and obesity compared to dietary interventions alone?
Adding exercise to dietary interventions does not significantly reduce most ectopic fat depots compared to diet alone in adults with overweight/obesity, except for a modest reduction in visceral fat area.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Adding exercise to diet yields no further ectopic fat reduction; challenges assumptions of synergistic benefit in overweight/obese adults.
Background: The growing prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases has led to increased interest in interventions targeting ectopic fat reduction to which its accumulation is linked to metabolic dysfunction. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of combined exercise training combined with dietary interventions compared with dietary interventions alone on ectopic fat [visceral fat area (VFA), liver fat, intramuscular fat (IMF), pancreatic fat, renal sinus fat, and pericardial and epicardial fats] in adults with overweight and obesity, both with and without chronic diseases. Methods: Web of Science, Scopus, and PubMed were searched for original articles up to 1 March, 2024, that included exercise compared with control interventions on body weight and ectopic fat in adults with overweight or obesity. Weighted mean differences (WMD) for body weight, liver fat, pancreatic fat, and renal sinus fat and standardized mean differences (SMD) for VFA, IMF, pericardial and epicardial fats, and 95% confidence intervals were determined using random-effects models. Conclusions: The findings suggest that combined exercise and dietary interventions did not lead to significant reductions in most ectopic fat depots when compared with diet alone. However, a modest reduction in VFA was observed in participants with obesity and healthy males. These results highlight the nuanced impact of exercise in combination with dietary interventions and the need to consider specific fat depots and participant characteristics in obesity management strategies.The trial was registered at PROSPERO as CRD42024546770.
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Kazeminasab et al. (2025) conducted a meta-analysis in Overweight and obesity with and without chronic diseases (n=1,488). Exercise training plus dietary intervention vs. Dietary intervention alone was evaluated on Visceral fat area (VFA) (SMD -0.10, 95% CI -0.21, 0.001, p=0.050). Combined exercise and dietary interventions did not significantly reduce visceral fat area (SMD -0.10) or most other ectopic fat depots compared with diet alone in adults with overweight or obesity.
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