Why do guys burn more fat than girls in the heat?
Fat Oxidation, But Not Subcutaneous Adipose Tissue Lipolysis, Differs Between Males and Females During a Treadmill‐Based Heat Tolerance Test
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fat oxidation was higher in men, but lipolysis (fat breakdown) in abdominal fat was identical between sexes.
Everyone assumes more fat burning means more fat being released from stores—this study proves the opposite: the body can burn fat without tapping into belly fat.
Practical Takeaways
If you're a woman training in hot conditions, don’t assume you’re burning less fat because you’re 'not working hard enough'—your body may be using fuel differently.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Fat oxidation was higher in men, but lipolysis (fat breakdown) in abdominal fat was identical between sexes.
Everyone assumes more fat burning means more fat being released from stores—this study proves the opposite: the body can burn fat without tapping into belly fat.
Practical Takeaways
If you're a woman training in hot conditions, don’t assume you’re burning less fat because you’re 'not working hard enough'—your body may be using fuel differently.
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Sport Science
Year
2026
Authors
Margaret C. Morrissey-Basler, Michael R Szymanski, E. Filep, Sean P. Langan, M. Ormsbee, Elaine C. Lee, Douglas J. Casa
Related Content
Claims (6)
If fat is released from fat stores but not burned for energy, the total amount of fat in the body does not decrease.
During prolonged exercise in hot conditions, women show greater blood flow to fat tissue under the skin of the abdomen than men, even though the breakdown of fat is similar between sexes, indicating that blood delivery to fat may be regulated differently by sex during heat stress.
During a 2-hour walk in 40°C heat, physically active young men burn fat at a higher rate than young women, with a measurable difference of 0.34 grams per minute at the 30-minute mark, even though both groups show similar levels of fat breakdown in abdominal tissue and similar blood markers of fat metabolism.
Healthy, physically active women burn 23–25% fewer calories at rest than men, even when accounting for differences in muscle mass, suggesting that biological sex influences baseline metabolic rate independently of body composition.
When exercising in hot conditions, men and women release fat from the abdominal fat layer at similar rates, as measured by glycerol levels in the tissue, even though men burn more fat overall during exercise. This suggests that the difference in overall fat burning between sexes comes from other sources, not this particular fat depot.