Local fat loss - myth or truth?

What is localized fat loss?

Localized fat loss is the idea that you can reduce body fat in a specific area of your body. Localized fat loss is also known as targeted fat loss and is such an exciting idea that it has been floating around the fitness world for several decades.

What evidence is there that localized fat loss is possible?

If you get very technical, there is some circumstantial evidence that localized fat loss is possible (and we're ignoring liposuction and other surgical options at this point). A big part of this circumstantial evidence is that we all have different shapes, but that shape is lost when we get heavy enough. When you lose some body fat, your overall body shape shows (e.g. apple-shaped vs. pear-shaped). And this is often confused with localized fat loss (hey, all the fat I lost was in place xxxx!).

In addition, some old studies using a cream containing a fat loss ingredient (yohimbine, forskolin) that could be absorbed through the skin were able to observe fat loss in the areas where the cream was applied.

While we're still on the technical details, it's worth noting that training a specific muscle is associated with more regional fat loss than fat loss in other areas.

So technically, there is evidence of a difference in body fat distribution and weak evidence that you can selectively reduce fat preferentially in a specific area.

Can I integrate localized fat loss into my training program?

Even though we have shown that it is technically possible, the realistic answer is "no".

The fat loss creams mentioned above have not been available for a long time. And even the studies on liposuction (for localized fat reduction) have shown that there was a redistribution of body fat after the procedure and that body fat levels rebalanced.

Basically, this means that even if you somehow manage to lose fat in one area of the body, your body will compensate. This is the unavoidable reality.

Despite the previous sections, the answer is most likely 'no'. This is also due to the fact that in the studies with fat loss creams mentioned above, the studies ended at the same time as the use of the cream ended and there were no follow-up studies.

And what about the one study that showed that training a muscle means more localized fat loss? This study concluded that an additional 600 to 2100 micrograms of fat per 100 grams of adipose tissue were shed. In other words, this corresponds to an increase in local fat loss of 0.02%!

You can try to achieve localized fat loss, but the body will restore the balance of fat distribution.

Under what circumstances might I be able to achieve localized fat loss?

There is only one scenario in which a person can achieve selective and long-lasting fat loss in a specific area and this involves the loss of central excess weight.

There are a few varieties of body fat that include subcutaneous adipose tissue (the flabby fat that we notice most), retroperitoneal adipose tissue (on the lower back, important for physically supporting the kidneys and loss of this fat can cause damage to the uterus) and visceral adipose tissue (a hardened fatty tissue that is located in the abdomen and surrounds the organs). Other types of adipose tissue that are not considered aesthetically bad include adipose tissue in the brain, adipose tissue in the breast area and intramuscular adipose tissue.

All variants of body fat are regulated by different hormones and cytokines (signaling molecules that act like hormones) and therefore you may have one area that is larger than it should be relative to others:

• You may have more subcutaneous/flabby) fat relative to visceral (central) body fat. This will make you look soft but give you a relatively narrow waist.
• You may have much more visceral fat relative to subcutaneous fat, which can result in a very large and hard belly (alcohol consumption usually causes this).
• It may not be that the relative amount of flabby fat on your arms and thighs is different, as they both represent the same variant - subcutaneous fat.
• Cosmetic surgery can override the above three points because body fat is liposuctioned or burned with a laser.

Reduction of central body fat (which can usually be seen when a person with central obesity and a very unhealthy lifestyle changes their life for the better) without too much reduction of subcutaneous fat is something like localized fat loss and this can be maintained long after fat loss.

Summary

• Localized fat loss is the idea that you can prioritize fat loss in one area of the body, such as fat on the abdomen instead of fat on the thighs.
• Localized fat loss is a real phenomenon even without surgery, at least from a purely technical point of view, but in practical terms it is futile, as only minimal amounts of fat can be lost locally and the body is likely to compensate for this after some time.
• There are several different types of body fat, two of which are important for aesthetics and fat loss: subcutaneous (flabby and close to the skin) and visceral (hardened, central) fat.
• Different types of body fat are regulated by different hormones and therefore react differently to hormonal changes.
• The reduction of central fat after a change from a very unhealthy to a healthy lifestyle is probably the only selective fat loss that can take place in practice.

And now you know. Is it technically possible to lose fat locally? Sure.

Will it make a difference in practice? No.

So the bottom line seems to be that localized fat loss is, for the most part, a myth.

By Nia Shanks

Source: http://www.niashanks.com/spot-reduction/