There are two main types of fat involved here: subcutaneous fat, which sits just under the skin, and visceral fat, which collects deeper in the abdomen around internal organs.
Subcutaneous fat is generally considered less harmful and plays normal roles in the body.
Visceral fat, on the other hand, is strongly associated with conditions like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Researchers have found that hormones are very relevant in how fat shifts as people get older.
According to Jacob Earp, an assistant professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut’s College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources, aging is often linked with a gradual shift of fat away from safer storage areas and toward the abdominal cavity.
He explains in the paper that sex hormones, including testosterone, are closely tied to how and where fat is distributed in the body.
This shift isn’t just cosmetic — it’s linked to real metabolic and health risks.
Most traditional weight loss strategies focus on reducing total body weight, without distinguishing between fat types.
The issue is that this kind of broad weight loss can also reduce muscle mass, which is especially important to preserve in older adults.
Losing muscle along with fat can be a downside of “one-size-fits-all” dieting approaches, particularly in aging populations where muscle maintenance is critical for mobility and health.
Instead of just focusing on the scale, researchers are increasingly interested in how fat is distributed and how that distribution might be influenced more precisely.
Testing Testosterone Gel in Older Women After Hip Fracture
Earp and his team conducted a study to explore whether a testosterone-based intervention could help older women recovering from hip fractures, especially when paired with exercise.
The results were published in Obesity Pillars.
The trial included 66 women over 65 who were recovering from recent hip fractures.
Before the intervention began, participants underwent DXA scans to measure body composition in detail.
All participants followed the same structured exercise program. The key difference was that only one group received a topical testosterone gel during recovery.
This allowed researchers to isolate the potential effect of the hormone treatment.
After six months, overall body fat levels were similar between the two groups. But the distribution of fat told a different story.
The group receiving testosterone gel showed a reduction in visceral fat, while the group without it actually experienced an increase — something that is commonly seen during recovery from major injury and aging.
The study notes that this result went against the expected pattern, where visceral fat typically rises after such injuries.
A Replacement for Testosterone Gel
Strength training places controlled stress on muscles, which signals the body to repair and strengthen tissue.
This process can encourage short-term rises in the circulation of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormone.
No, you won’t grow chest hair or get a deeper voice from this natural (though not dramatic) increase in testosterone, but it will improve your body composition and help melt down excess visceral fat.
Consistent training, especially using progressive overload where weight or resistance is gradually increased over time, will produce the best results over time.
Compound movements, particularly the deadlift, are very effective at weight management, even for senior age people.
Many people over 50 exercise at gyms, but few in this age group, especially women, are ever seen at the bench press stations — even though the bench press is a highly effective movement for building upper body strength — no matter what your age.
