More Reasons to Exercise
Via ScienceDaily: "moderate amounts of exercise alone can reduce the inflammation in visceral fat ... benefits of exercise were apparent, even without a change in diet. We saw improvements in insulin sensitivity, less fat in the liver, and less inflammation in belly fat ... Scientists now know that obesity is associated with a low-grade systemic inflammation. Obese people have higher levels of circulating inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), which are produced and secreted by fat tissue. This inflammation then triggers the systemic diseases linked with metabolic syndrome, such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease ... mice were assigned to either a sedentary group, an exercise group, a low-fat diet group, or a group that combined a low-fat diet with exercise ... The surprise was that the combination of diet and exercise didn't yield dramatically different and better results than diet or exercise alone." This suggests that the level of visceral fat is more important than other factors and whatever strategy you choose to get rid of it is going to provide some benefit. Which is not an excuse not to exercise or to overeat - a partial benefit is only a partial benefit.
Link: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090423154237.htm