Research confirms a healthy lifestyle, with diet and exercise as its core, directly reduces harmful visceral belly fat.

Diet and exercise are the two main most effective ways to fight and reduce unhealthy belly fat, a new UK study has found.

According to researchers, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, in which diet and exercise play a key role, helps reduce harmful visceral fat, known commonly as belly fat.

The study, published in the Journal JAMA Network Open, followed over 7,200 middle-aged adults in the UK over the period of seven years on average.

What they came up with was that those who ate hygienically or regularly exercised experienced slower weight gain, with both subcutaneous and visceral fat, that ultimately led to the lower risk of fatty liver disease.

But those who don't change their lifestyle are at higher risk of it.

Subcutaneous fat is the layer of body fat that lies directly underneath the skin and above the muscle.

It is often contrasted with visceral fat, which is considered an unhealthy fat that surrounds the internal organs deep inside the abdomen.

The study found that people who ate well and exercised gained 1.9 kilograms less total body fat and 150 grams less visceral fat compared to those who stuck to their unhealthy lifestyle, reducing their fat accumulation by 7% and 16%, respectively.

Dr. Nita Farouhi, one of the study authors, noted that the findings indicate that improving lifestyle habits in midlife is key not just to weight loss but also to lowering the risk of metabolic diseases.

She said, "Despite the challenges of living in an environment that promotes unhealthy eating and inactivity, there is benefit from making small, sustained changes that lead to both healthier diets and increased energy expenditure."