Research
Energy balance
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.
To reduce visceral fat, you need to stick with your exercise or diet plan for more than 12 weeks. Short-term efforts may not be enough to target this specific type of fat. Consistency over time is key.
GoodQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
based on subgroup analysis by intervention duration, both exercise and calorie restriction interventions in long-term (more than 12 weeks) have been successful in decreasing VFA in adults with overweight/or obesity.
Why this rating
Based on subgroup analysis of the meta-analysis.
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
Meta-analysis · 17 studiesCited 7×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- 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.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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