Regular exercise may lead to healthier belly fat, study finds

Researchers found people with obesity who frequently exercised had changes in their belly fat that reduced the risk of heart disease and diabetes.

Belly fat tends to get a bad rap, but new research shows that one kind of belly fat can be healthier than others — provided you’re willing to get moving.

“Fat is really misunderstood,” said Jeffrey Horowitz, a professor of exercise physiology in the University of Michigan School of Kinesiology. “The fat we have, especially that which is stored under our skin, is a really important place to store our energy.”

In a new study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Metabolism, Horowitz and his team found that people with obesity who get regular aerobic exercise have healthier belly fat tissue — specifically, that subcutaneous fat stored just beneath the skin — than nonexercisers with obesity.