Research

Hormonal

Chronic exercise stimulates lipolysis in adipose tissue by normalizing the activity of lipolytic enzymes (ATGL and HSL), thereby facilitating the reduction of adipose tissue mass and preventing its accumulation.

To lose fat, you need to engage in regular physical activity. This activity triggers your body's fat-burning enzymes (like ATGL and HSL) to break down stored fat more efficiently. While you can't choose exactly where the fat comes from, consistent exercise helps your body manage fat stores better, especially if you have been overweight.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Thus, the results of most published studies suggest that physical exercise may stimulate lipolytic activity within AT, that may contribute to more efficient reduction of AT mass and/or prevent accumulation thereof.
Adriana Mika et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2019

Why this rating

The paper is a review summarizing multiple studies with mixed results (some show decreased phosphorylated HSL), indicating moderate consistency.

Source

Effect of Exercise on Fatty Acid Metabolism and Adipokine Secretion in Adipose Tissue

Adriana Mika et al. · Frontiers in Physiology · 2019

DOI 10.3389/fphys.2019.00026

narrative_reviewCited 185×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →