Weightlifting is ‘better than cardio’ for reducing dangerous fat in the heart

Weightlifting is better than cardio for protecting against cardiovascular disease by reducing dangerous heart fat, scientists claim.

Both forms of exercise were effective at reducing heart fat in a small group of obese study participants.

But weighted exercises, such as lunges with dumbbells or bodyweight push-ups, made the largest impact.

One type of heart fat was reduced by almost a third in a three-month training program that focused on lifting weights without any cardio.

Heart diseases are most often caused by a buildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which people can prevent by improving their diet and exercising.

One in three people die every day from cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide – a total of 17.9million each year, according to the World Health Organization.

Scientists at Copenhagen University Hospital recruited 32 people who were obese and didn’t exercise but had no existing heart problems or diabetes.

Participants were randomly assigned to a 12-week program of either weight training, aerobic exercise – which was cardio on an exercise bike –  or no change in activity.

Each person had an MRI scan taken of their heart before and after the study to look at two types of heart tissue – epicardial adipose tissue mass and pericardial adipose tissue.

Both forms of exercise resulted in the reduction of epicardial adipose tissue when compared to no exercise – cardio by 32 per cent and weight training by 24 per cent.

But only weight training had an impact on pericardial adipose tissue, which was reduced by 31 per cent compared to no exercise.

The team didn’t try combining both endurance and strength training, but confirmed any type of exercise was far more beneficial than neither.

Both forms of fat are recognised as a driver of heart disease. Epicardial adipose tissue has been shown to provoke atherosclerosis, which is when plaque builds up in the artery walls, restricting blood blow around the body.

Too much pericardial adipose tissue can result in hardening of the arteries and coronary heart disease, a type of CVD and one of the leading causes of death worldwide.

The researchers wrote in the journal JAMA Cardiology: ‘Overall, our results suggest that resistance training may be superior to endurance training as resistance training reduced pericardial adipose tissue and improved fitness and strength, while endurance training only improved fitness.

‘Nevertheless, both exercise modalities were associated with reduced epicardial adipose tissue, suggesting that people with specific training preferences or requirements can benefit from both training modalities.’

Lead author Dr Regitse Hojgaard Christensen, from the Center of Inflammation and Metabolism and the Center for Physical Activity Research said the results were surprising.

He said: ‘The resistance exercise training in this study was designed as a 45-minute interval type, medium load, high-repetition, time-based training.

‘Participants performed three to five sets of 10 exercises and the sessions were supervised.

‘This specific exercise intervention alone was effective in reducing both fat depots of the heart.

‘We did not combine resistance and endurance training, which would have been interesting to reveal their potential additive effects.’

The study did not give an explanation for why weightlifting had better results, but Dr Christensen said previous research suggests weightlifting burns more calories throughout the day even when the person is not moving.

A healthy diet can also reduce epicardial adipose tissue by 32 per cent, according to a study by Canadian researchers from McMaster University, published in Obesity in 2012.

Therefore, a combination of exercise and dietary restriction would have the greatest effect on heart fat, the authors said.