January is often a month when new year's resolutions for many are getting fit and shedding the Christmas pounds.
A problem for many is getting rid of the belly bulge as fat in this area is often hard to remove.
However, there are some key tools that can help in shrinking this extra weight around the middle, also known as visceral fat.
According to one study, taking a natural supplement can reduce the harmful fat in "just 30 days".
The analysis, published in the journal Phytotherapy Research, investigated the anti-obesity effects of bergamot phytosome supplementation.
Bergamot Phytosome is a standardised extract from Bergamot, also known as Citrus bergamia Risso et Poiteau, a small tree cultivated along the Ionian coast of the Calabria region in Southern Italy, as the Express reports.
A total of 64 participants were randomised into two groups for 12 weeks: a supplemented group (33 individuals receiving 500 mg of bergamot phytosome, two daily tablets) and placebo group (31 subjects, two daily tablets).
The parameters of visceral fat, total and LDL-cholesterol were "significantly decreased" in the bergamot phytosome group, but not in the placebo group, the researchers found.
Like visceral fat, LDL cholesterol is a fatty substance that is a precursor to heart disease.
What's more, visceral fat reduction began within 30 days of consuming bergamot phytosome, the researchers noted.
"In conclusion, this clinical study gives evidence that bergamot phytosome provides beneficial effects, such as decrease of VAT [visceral fat] and modulation of metabolic alterations, after just 30 days of supplementation, resulting in a very promising protection of cardiovascular health," they said.
