The Study
Effects of aerobic vs. resistance training on visceral and liver fat stores, liver enzymes, and insulin resistance by HOMA in overweight adults from STRRIDE AT/RT.
This study is like a fair race between two types of exercise to see which one does a better job of shrinking belly fat and liver fat. It didn't just ask people what they felt—it measured the fat with special scans. But the people knew which exercise they were doing, which might have made them try harder. So we can say aerobic exercise probably did better, but we can't say for 100% sure it's the only reason.
Analysis score
Maximum 90 for a randomized controlled trial.
Where the score came from
This study tested three types of workouts on people who were overweight and not very active: walking/jogging, lifting weights, and doing both.
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 567 / 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 — reducing liver and belly fat lowers risk of diabetes and heart disease, and 4.3 U/L drop in ALT is clinically meaningful for liver health.
- 2Walking/jogging for 8 months cut belly fat by about 16 cm², liver fat by 2.5 Hounsfield units, ALT (a liver enzyme) by 4.3 U/L, and improved insulin resistance by 0.40 HOMA points.
- 3Lifting weights improved strength and muscle but didn’t change belly or liver fat.
- 4Doing both was no better than walking/jogging alone.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
American journal of physiology. Endocrinology and metabolism
Year
2011
Authors
C. Slentz, Lori A. Bateman, Leslie H. Willis, A. Shields, C. Tanner, Lucy W. Piner, V. Hawk, M. Muehlbauer, G. Samsa, Rendon C. Nelson, K. Huffman, C. Bales, J. Houmard, W. Kraus
Related Content
Claims (6)
In overweight, sedentary adults with moderate dyslipidemia, 8 months of aerobic exercise at 75% peak oxygen uptake reduces visceral fat by 16 cm², liver fat, alanine aminotransferase levels by 4.3 U/L, and fasting insulin resistance by 0.40 HOMA units, and produces greater improvements than resistance training.
In overweight, sedentary adults with moderate dyslipidemia, 8 months of resistance training three times per week with 8 exercises and 3 sets of 8–12 repetitions does not reduce visceral fat, liver fat, liver enzyme levels, or insulin resistance, but does increase lean body mass and strength.
In overweight, inactive adults with high blood fats, doing both cardio and strength training for 8 months improves metabolism just as much as cardio alone, without further lowering visceral fat, liver fat, liver enzyme levels, or insulin resistance.
In overweight, sedentary adults with moderate dyslipidemia, aerobic exercise is associated with lower liver fat, measured by increased liver density on CT scans, and a 4.3 U/L decrease in alanine aminotransferase levels.
In overweight, sedentary adults with moderate dyslipidemia, 8 months of aerobic exercise lowers fasting insulin resistance by about 0.40 HOMA units, while resistance training does not lower it significantly.
Moderate-intensity aerobic exercise lowers visceral fat, which leads to reduced production of inflammatory cytokines by white adipose tissue.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.