Exercise and diet work in tandem to protect you from assorted ailments such as osteoporosis and, according to a new study, trigger the body's breakdown of fat cells around the abdomen, a buildup linked to a greater risk of diabetes and heart disease.

More than 40 obese, female patients were put on a health regimen either based on modifying their diets alone, following a stricter diet plus moderate walking three days a week or dieting plus more intense walking. No surprise, all three groups lost weight and enjoyed improved BMIs after 20 weeks.

Researchers discovered a major difference between patients who exercised versus those who didn't, however, when they examined body fat samples taken from below the skin's surface. The size of abdominal fat samples taken from patients participating in both exercise groups was smaller by almost 20 percent, compared to the non-exercising dieters whose fat composition didn't change a bit.

It's certainly impressive how natural treatments like eating a better diet and exercising can do a better, safer job of optimizing your health than taking a worthless, harmful drug. Some suggestions to get you started on the path toward optimal health:

• Eat the foods your body burns best based on its unique nutritional type.
• Treat exercise as a drug that needs to be precisely prescribed to do the most good.
• Rebalance your intake of omega-3 fats by taking a high-quality krill oil daily.

International Journal of Obesity, Vol. 30, No. 8, August 2006: 1211-1216

Yahoo News August 16, 2006