Giggles 'n More

Article by Roma Agsalud

A group of U.S. researchers said on Friday that both dieting and exercising can equally help reduce weight.

Dr. Eric Ravussin of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, part of Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, said the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, was done under controlled conditions to demonstrate what can actually take place in our body while dieting and exercising.

“It’s all about the calories, Ravussin said. “So long as the energy deficit is the same, body weight, fat weight, and abdominal fat will all decrease in the same way.”

The researchers have been testing volunteers for another purpose, that is, to see if people live longer if they reduce calorie intake. The test was effective on animals, from worms to dogs. Study on monkeys and human takes longer time.However, his team found out that cutting 25 percent of calories might contribute to longer life.

“We found that 2 of the biomarkers of aging were improved – core temperature was 0.4 to 0.5 degrees C less,” he said. “Insulin, which has been shown to be a biomarker of aging, was reduced,” Ravussin said.

All of their findings were published in the April issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association

There were 24 participants in the study, 12 of which ate a calorie restricted diet up to 25 percent than normal, while 12 also dieted by reducing calorie intake by 12.5 percent and exercised five times a week for six months in order to lose another 12.5 percent calories.. Another set of 10 volunteers were tested for control purposes.

The results of both groups were the same as everyone lost 10 percent of their body weight, 24 percent of their fat mass, and 27 percent of their abdominal visceral fat. Visceral fat “is the most dangerous of type of fat” as it causes heart disease and diabetes.

The study contradicts the idea muscle building exercises help people lose weight.”If anything, highly trained people are highly efficient, so they burn fewer calories at rest,” Ravussin said.

“There is a concept that if you exercise, you are going to lose less of your muscle,” he said. However, his research team did not find any evidence to prove it.

Nevertheless, Ravussin believes that a diet and exercise program is still best for the human body.