ISTANBUL 

Combining diet and exercise may reduce harmful fat around the organs, helping lower the risk of metabolic diseases, according to new research from Cambridge University.

While a healthy lifestyle aids weight loss, researchers emphasize that fat location matters. Subcutaneous fat lies under the skin, but visceral fat around abdominal organs poses greater health risks, including heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

For the research, which was published in the journal JAMA Network Open, the scholars followed 7,256 adults from the Fenland Study over seven years, tracking their physical activity with wearable heart rate and movement sensors.

Participants’ average age was 49 at baseline and 56 at follow-up.

"When people talk about changes in body weight, they often refer to a single number on the scale. But not all weight loss or gain is the same," said Shayan Aryannezhad, lead author of the study, according to MedicalXpress.

"We found that combining a better diet with more physical activity is an effective way to improve not just weight, but how much and where fat is stored in the body. It's particularly effective at reducing the buildup of harmful fat around organs," he added.

Senior author Nita Forouhim, a professor of population health and nutrition at Cambridge, highlighted that improving diet and increasing physical activity in middle age can aid weight management, prevent disease, and support healthy aging.

Even small, sustained lifestyle changes are beneficial, Forouhi said, adding: "To address the epidemic of obesity and its huge social, psychological and health service costs, policy-makers should seek to alter the food and physical activity environments to make healthier choices more accessible for all."