Energy balance
Combined exercise and dietary interventions produce significantly greater body weight loss than exercise alone in adults with overweight or obesity, but do not significantly reduce ectopic fat (liver fat, visceral fat area, or intramuscular triglycerides) compared to exercise alone.
If your goal is simply to lose body weight, adding exercise to your diet will help you lose more weight than dieting alone. However, if your specific goal is to reduce ectopic fat (fat in your liver, visceral area, or muscles), simply combining diet and exercise may not be more effective than exercise alone. You may need to focus on specific types of exercise or longer durations (>12 weeks) to target these specific fat depots, as general weight loss does not guarantee ectopic fat reduction.
The combined intervention of exercise and diet significantly reduced body weight compared to exercise alone [WMD = -2.85 kg, p = 0.001]... However, the combined intervention did not significantly reduce liver fat, VFA, or IMTG compared to exercise alone.
Why this rating
Based on a systematic review and meta-analysis of 17 studies with 732 participants, using random-effects models.
Source
Combined exercise training and dietary interventions versus independent effect of exercise on ectopic fat in individuals with overweight and obesity: a systematic review, meta‐analysis, and meta-regression
Fatemeh Kazeminasab et al. · Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition · 2025
DOI 10.1080/15502783.2025.2528534
More from this paper
- Long-term interventions (>12 weeks) involving either exercise or caloric restriction are successful in decreasing visceral fat area (VFA) in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas short-term interventions may not be.Good
- Weight loss acts as a significant moderator for the effect of combined interventions on visceral fat area (VFA), but not for liver fat or intramuscular triglycerides (IMTG).Good
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