A fat belly poses a very real health risk to men, especially those with a waist circumference over 40 inches, warns the American Heart Association. According to Michael Jensen, M.D., an endocrinology specialist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, are more likely than women to accumulate fat at the belly. As a result, they experience a higher likelihood of developing heart disease, some cancers, stroke, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea, metabolic syndrome and high cholesterol. Many factors play a role in men's propensity to gain belly fat.
Lifestyle
A sedentary lifestyle, overeating and poor dietary choices contribute to weight gain and increased belly fat. If you consume more calories than you burn, you will gain weight. Men tend to be less conscious of the content of their diets and consume foods higher in saturated fats. Fatty cuts of meat like hamburger, ribs and porterhouse, butter, processed meats, cheese and hot dogs are foods that men eat with gusto---and contribute to an over-consumption of saturated fat and an over-development of belly fat.
Age
Muscle mass decreases with age---particularly if you do not exercise. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes. Men, who may have been very active in their youth, inevitably become less active, but do not slow down their consumption of food. This leads to weight gain, and for men, it usually accumulates at the tummy.
Genes
Some men may have a genetic propensity to carry more fat at the belly. If your parents or grandparents had a fat belly, you will likely gain weight there as well. However, if you do not gain weight in the first place, your midsection will not expand.
Alcohol
The infamous "beer belly" is not a myth---drinking too much of any alcohol can cause the body to burn fat less efficiently. The Mayo Clinic recommends men limit consumption to two drinks per day to deter belly fat development.
Hormones
Men are more likely to accumulate fat at the belly than are women. Robert Ross, an exercise physiologist at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario suggests in a "USA Today" article in February 2003 that male sex hormones and stress hormones both contribute to the storage of toxic visceral fat at the abdomen. The fact that women become more vulnerable to gaining belly fat post-menopause supports the hypothesis that certain hormones present in menstruating women discourage belly fat accumulation.
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