Most of us enjoy a bacon steak, sausage sandwich or takeaway curry every now and then, even though we know this isn’t the best thing to do if we’re watching our weight.
Now a study has revealed how to get the body to use them as fuel instead of storing them as fat.
Researchers have found that consistently exercising for just five hours a week changes the way the body burns saturated fats and uses them for energy.
A team from the University of Aberdeen investigated how different types of fat are used by the body depending on the individual’s level of physical fitness.
They recruited two groups: “super healthy” male athletes and men with type 2 diabetes who did little to no exercise. Both groups alternated training regimens for eight weeks.
Researchers have found that consistently exercising for just five hours a week changes the way the body burns saturated fats and uses them for energy.
The athletes underwent ‘deconditioning’, where they went from at least nine and a half hours of intensive training per week to no exercise.
Meanwhile, the people with type 2 diabetes followed endurance training where they trained five hours a week.
Before and after the lifestyle change, the volunteers were given small amounts of different fats by injection and underwent MRI scans to see how the fat behaved in their muscle cells.
The results showed that the group with type 2 diabetes lost weight, improved their insulin sensitivity and reduced their cholesterol, triglycerides and fasting glucose levels.
The team also found that saturated fat was used extensively in athletes for physical activity as the ‘preferred energy source’.
Lead author Professor Dana Dawson said: ‘We found that athletes intensively store and use saturated fat for high-performance physical activity, and conversely we observed mainly storage in people with type 2 diabetes.
‘We have also shown in people with type 2 diabetes that endurance training increased the storage and use of saturated fat in their skeletal muscle cells to such an extent that they became comparable to the deconditioned athletes after eight weeks of training.
“Overall, the most striking and completely new perspective we gained from this study is that one size does not fit all and that an individual’s cardio-metabolic health determines how efficiently you can use different fats as fuel. ‘
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, who supported the research, said: ‘This small study reinforces the benefits of keeping active on our heart health.
‘Although the study compared two very specific groups – male athletes and men with type 2 diabetes – the findings provide reassurance that being physically active can improve the way the body uses different types of fat.’
Fergus McKiddie, 56, from Aberdeenshire took part in the trial in the athletes category.
Mr McKiddie, who works for NHS Grampian, is in top physical condition and leads an active lifestyle including running, cycling and strength training, making him a perfect candidate for the swap.
He said: ‘My mother-in-law had type 2 diabetes for many years before developing vascular dementia.
‘So I felt like I had to try to help in any way I could to further the understanding and treatment of the disease.
‘It was a bit of a shock for the system to go from exercising every day to doing nothing and it took some getting used to. But I am happy that I contributed to this exciting result.
‘It has changed my perspective on how I eat now. I now worry less about eating natural fats because I better understand how my body handles them and makes good use of them.
‘It also really highlighted the importance of exercise for everyone, especially people with type 2 diabetes, so I’d like more people to know that.
‘It was a very interesting experience and delivered an exciting result that may open up new ways to help the ever-increasing number of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.’
The findings have been published in the journal Nature Communications.