A study by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina suggests that exercise may prove helpful especially for those who are looking to reduce fat along their waistline. The researchers found that the subjects who exercised during the study showed a reduction in size of fat cells around the abdomen compared to those who only dieted.

Dr. Tongjian You and colleagues studied 45 obese middle-aged women to investigate the role of exercise in reducing abdominal fat cells. The women were divided into three groups: one that took less-calorie diet, one that took less calorie diet and walked at a moderate pace three days per week; and a third that dieted and walked at a more intense pace three days a week.

Exercise may be especially helpful in reducing the size of fat cells around the waistline — more so than diet alone, a study suggests. That’s important, because fat specifically in the abdomen has been linked to the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

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