3529: [Part 1] Is It Possible to Target Fat Loss to Specific Body Parts by Jillian Kubala with Healthline on Fitness Myths

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[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Is it possible to target fat loss to specific body parts? Part 1 by Jillian Kubala with Healthline.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik, your host and narrator. Hey there, welcome to another edition of Optimal Health Daily where I read some of the best blogs covering health and fitness just like an audiobook. Now we have a bunch of shows where we do this. Just search for Optimal Living Daily to find all of them.

[00:01:26] Now today's post is a bit longer than what I typically narrate. So whenever that happens, I'll read the first half today and then finish it up for you tomorrow. So for now, let's get right to it as we optimize your life. Is it possible to target fat loss to specific body parts? Part 1 by Jillian Kubala with Healthline.com. Almost everyone would like to change certain parts of their body.

[00:01:55] The waistline, thighs, butt, and arms are common areas in which people tend to store excess body fat. Achieving change through diet and exercise takes time and effort, leaving those who desire a quick fix in search of a faster solution. Targeted fat loss, also known as spot reduction, is the type of exercise that many people turn to when trying to slim down specific areas of their bodies. However, there is quite a bit of controversy surrounding this method.

[00:02:24] This article takes a detailed look at the science behind spot reduction. What is spot reduction? The theory of spot reduction has been promoted in the health and fitness world for some time. However, there is not much evidence to support it. Spot reduction is a type of targeted exercise intended to burn fat in specific body areas. An example of spot reduction is exercising the triceps in order to get rid of excess fat on the back of the arms.

[00:02:52] This theory of targeting specific body parts is popular, leading many people to focus only on troublesome areas rather than exercising their entire body. Burning fat using this method can be particularly appealing to those who have had a hard time losing weight in the past or failed to get the results that they wanted using other methods. Why some people may want to reduce fat in certain areas

[00:03:15] There are countless reasons why people want to lose weight, including improving health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases like heart disease and diabetes. Some people tend to carry excess weight proportionally, while others hold on to weight in specific areas like the butt, thighs, or belly. Gender, age, genetics, and lifestyle all play a role in weight gain and the accumulation of stubborn areas of body fat.

[00:03:42] For instance, women have a higher percentage of body fat than men do and tend to store excess fat in the thighs and butt, especially during their childbearing years. However, during perimenopause and menopause, hormonal changes can lead to shifts in weight to the belly region. On the other hand, men are more likely to put on pounds in their mid-sections throughout their entire lives.

[00:04:05] Weight gain can be very frustrating and cause many people to look for easier alternatives than going on a diet or increasing their activity levels. Spot reduction is promoted as a way to quickly reduce fat in problematic areas. This method appeals to the belief that working the muscles in problem areas is the best way to burn the fat in that specific spot. Yet, fat loss doesn't work that way, and there is little scientific evidence to back this claim.

[00:04:33] Is spot reduction possible? Although targeting fat loss in specific areas of the body would be ideal, the theory of spot reduction has not been proven effective by scientific studies. How Fat Loss Works To understand why spot reduction may not be effective, it's important to understand how the body burns fat. The fat in your cells is found in the form of triglycerides, which are stored fats that the body can use for energy.

[00:05:01] Before they can be burned for energy, triglycerides must be broken down into smaller sections called free fatty acids and glycerol, which are able to enter the bloodstream. During exercise, the free fatty acids and glycerol used as fuel can come from anywhere in the body, not specifically from the area that's being exercised. The majority of studies have debunked spot reduction. Aside from not correlating with how the body burns fat,

[00:05:30] a number of studies have shown spot reduction to be ineffective. For example, one study in 24 people who only completed exercises targeting the abdominals for 6 weeks found no reduction in belly fat. Another study that followed 40 overweight and obese women for 12 weeks found that resistance training of the abdominals had no effect on belly fat loss compared to dietary intervention alone. A study focusing on the effectiveness of upper body resistance training had similar results.

[00:06:00] This 12-week study included 104 participants who completed a training program that exercised only their non-dominant arms. Researchers found that although some fat loss did occur, it was generalized to the entire body, not the arm being exercised. Several other studies have resulted in similar findings, concluding that spot reduction is not effective for burning fat in specific areas of the body. However, a small number of studies have had conflicting results.

[00:06:30] One study conducted, with 10 people, found that fat loss was higher in areas close to contracting muscles. Another recent study that included 16 women found that localized resistance training, followed by 30 minutes of cycling, resulted in increased fat loss in specific areas of the body. Although findings from these studies warrant additional research, both had potential reasons for conflicting results, including measurement techniques and a small number of participants. Despite these outlier studies,

[00:06:59] most scientific evidence shows that it is not possible to lose fat in one specific area by exercising that body part alone. To be continued. You just listened to part 1 of the post titled, Is it possible to target fat loss to specific body parts? By Jillian Kubala with Healthline.com and I'll be right back with my commentary. Now, it's just me and a small team behind this show,

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[00:08:57] Dr. Neal Malik here with my commentary. Okay then. Is it bad to keep doing sit-ups and crunches if we want to build six-pack abs? No. We just need to temper our expectations. Performing sit-ups and crunches will strengthen the abdominal muscles, which is a good thing. But that strengthening of the abdominal muscles may not make those abs visible. To make that happen, any fat in that area will need to be reduced. So to reduce fat in that area,

[00:09:26] well, we learned from today's post that it's going to take some time, consistency and patience. Consistently watching calories and performing cardiovascular exercises and resistance training will hopefully, eventually, reduce fat around the abdomen. Just don't be surprised if fat loss around the abdomen doesn't happen right away. Usually, the body will burn fat from other areas of the body first, like the chest, even the wrists. But in time, the body will start using the fat

[00:09:55] around the abdomen as energy and help those abs that you've been working so hard to get finally pop. Again, think time, consistency and patience. Now, before I keep talking about this, I have to remember, we're going to continue this conversation on tomorrow's post. So, that'll do it for today. Thank you so much for listening today and every day. And of course, I'll be back here tomorrow to finish up this post and this conversation. So, I'll see you there

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