Photo: New Yale University Prevention Research Center Study Finds Flat Belly
Diet! Reduced Dangerous Visceral Belly Fat by 33%
Study Also Reveals FBD Lowers Cholesterol (On Average 21 Pts.), Blood
Pressure, Inflammation & Insulin Resistance
NEW YORK, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- The Flat Belly Diet! reduced dangerous
visceral belly fat on average by 33% in 28 days, according to a new study by
the Yale University Prevention Research Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby,
CT. Researchers followed nine overweight women on the plan and tracked their
progress using cross-sectional MRI scans and measuring key health markers. The
diet was also found to decrease risk factors for heart health such as
cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation as well as diabetes. The MRI
before-and-after results can be found at
http://www.prevention.com/flatbellymri.
To view the Multimedia News Release, go to:
http://www.prnewswire.com/mnr/rodale/36561/
Said Dr. David Katz, MD, adjunct professor of public health and director
of the Yale Prevention Research Center at Yale University School of Medicine,
"This diet study is exceptional because few have used MRI to look at the
effects of a particular diet on abdominal fat. It shows the plan not only
significantly reduces weight overall, but abdominal fat in particular,
including dangerous visceral fat. We also saw impressive reductions in
cholesterol, blood pressure, inflammation, and insulin resistance."
Can a diet really target belly fat? Said Katz, "To some degree, yes.
Eating fewer calories than you burn will mobilize fat in general. In addition,
the kinds of foods prominent in the Flat Belly Diet -- monounsaturated fats,
sources of soluble fiber including whole grains, along with fruits, and
vegetables -- can help lower insulin and help directly mobilize belly fat."
In April 2008, Prevention commissioned scientists at the Yale University
Prevention Research Center to study how the Flat Belly Diet! affects deadly
visceral fat. The pilot study results, reported in the current (February)
issue of Prevention, found that participants lost an average of 8.4 pounds and
close to 2 inches from the waist in 28 days. Total cholesterol dropped an
average of 21 points (with a 9-point reduction in unhealthy LDL), bringing
lipid measurements down to optimal range for some participants. Results also
showed a significant decline in the level of fasting insulin, a marker for
diabetes.
"What impressed me was that virtually every measure of health -- from
visceral fat to blood pressure to cholesterol -- improved in such a short
amount of time. Usually, the longer a study runs, the easier it is to get
significant results. But this study produced compelling results in just 28
days," said Katz.
"There is no question that these changes are clinically as well as
statistically significant," he added. "If the plan and its associated benefits
were sustained over time, these women would be at reduced risk of heart
disease, diabetes, cancer, you name it. Basically, the diet kicked butt -- or,
perhaps more appropriately in this case, belly!"
"As much as half of the overall population has too much visceral fat,
though many do not know it," said Katz.
Press Contacts:
Karen Mazzotta
212-808-1660
karen.mazzotta@rodale.com
Yelena Gitlin
212-573-0296
yelena.gitlin@rodale.com
SOURCE Prevention Magazine
Karen Mazzotta, +1-212-808-1660, karen.mazzotta@rodale.com, or Yelena Gitlin,
+1-212-573-0296, yelena.gitlin@rodale.com, both for Prevention Magazine
