The Study
Higher baseline fat oxidation promotes gynoid fat mobilization in response to a 12 week exercise intervention in sedentary, obese black South African women.
This study gave some women exercise and others didn’t, then saw who lost fat. Because they randomly picked who got exercise, we can say the exercise probably caused the fat loss — but only in these women. It doesn’t mean the same will happen to everyone.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
Women who exercised for 12 weeks got fitter and burned more fat during exercise. Those who already burned more fat at rest lost more fat around their hips and thighs.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 547 / 100
Quality score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. The gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — if your body naturally burns more fat at rest, you're more likely to lose hip and thigh fat when you start exercising regularly.
- 2Peak oxygen uptake increased by 11%.
- 3Fat burning during exercise went up by 20%.
- 4Gynoid (hip/thigh) fat decreased.
- 5Visceral (belly) fat didn't change.
- 6Baseline fat burning predicted 60.6% of fat loss.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme
Year
2020
Authors
L. Clamp, A. Mendham, J. Kroff, J. Goedecke
Related Content
Claims (4)
If fat is released from fat stores but not burned for energy, the total amount of fat in the body does not decrease.
In obese Black South African women aged 20–35 with BMI 30–40 kg/m², individuals who naturally burn more fat at rest and less carbohydrate at rest tend to lose more fat from the hip and thigh area after 12 weeks of exercise, with these metabolic rates accounting for 60.6% of the differences in fat loss between individuals.
In obese Black South African women aged 20–35 with BMI 30–40 kg/m², 12 weeks of exercise leads to a reduction in fat around the hips and thighs but does not change fat around the organs. This suggests fat loss may occur differently in different body areas.
In obese Black South African women aged 20–35 with a BMI of 30–40 kg/m², a 12-week exercise program done four times per week at high intensity increases the body's ability to burn fat during steady exercise and improves maximum oxygen uptake.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.