While exercise is commonly recommended for people with type-2 diabetes, its effects on fat deposits in the body have been unclear. Hildo J. Lamb, from Leiden University Medical Center (The Netherlands), and colleagues assessed the effects of moderate-intensity exercise on organ-specific fat accumulation and cardiac function in 12 type 2 diabetes patients, average age 46 years, independent of any other lifestyle or dietary changes. The subjects underwent MRI examinations before and after six months of moderate-intensity exercise totaling between 3.5 and six hours per week and featuring two endurance and two resistance training sessions. The exercise cycle culminated with a 12-day trekking expedition. MRI results showed that, although cardiac function was not affected, the exercise program led to a significant decrease in fat volume in the abdomen, liver and around the heart, all of which have been previously shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Noting that: ” we observed that the second layer of fat around the heart, the peracardial fat, behaved similarly in response to exercise training as intra-abdominal, or visceral fat,” the study authors observed that: “The fat content in the liver also decreased substantially after exercise” – of particular importance to people with type 2 diabetes, many of whom are overweight or obese. The investigators conclude that: “A 6-month exercise intervention in type 2 diabetes mellitus decreased hepatic [triglyceride] content and visceral abdominal and paracardial fat volume, which are associated with increased cardiovascular risk.”
