To lose weight, especially harmful belly fat, combine diet and exercise
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- Reviewed by Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
When it comes to achieving a healthy weight, what matters more — improving your diet or increasing your physical activity? Not surprisingly, a study published Nov. 21, 2025, in JAMA Network Open found that the answer is both. The researchers collected health data on 7,256 adults (average age 49) two times, an average of seven years apart. On each occasion, the researchers evaluated participants’ adherence to a Mediterranean diet and measured their physical activity (using sensors that tracked heart rate and movement for 72 hours). They also measured weight, waist circumference, and body fat, calculating total fat and also two specific types of fat — subcutaneous fat (pinchable fat under the skin) and visceral fat (deep in the abdomen). Excess visceral fat can be particularly harmful, driving much of the increased risk for diabetes, heart disease, fatty liver disease, and other health problems.
Greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet and higher levels of physical activity were each linked to less weight gain and greater reductions in total body fat, waist circumference, and visceral fat between the first set of measurements and the second. The greatest reduction in body fat, especially visceral fat, occurred when both diet and physical activity improved over time.
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About the Author
Lynne Christensen, Staff Writer
About the Reviewer
Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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