Many people carry a few extra inches around the middle. It's one of the two most common places to carry excess pounds; the second is in the bottom, hips and thighs. There are many jokes about the "beer belly" or carrying a "spare tire," but carrying fat at the center of the body is no laughing matter.
The American Diabetes Association, the World Health Organization and other authorities have published research on central obesity's dangerous effects on health. These organizations concur that central obesity appears to involve greater health risks than fat located in other body areas.
Apple or Pear?
Those who carry weight around the middle are often described as "apple shaped." Such people tend to have deep fat layers that put pressure on vital organs such as the heart and liver. By contrast, "pear-shaped" people who who carry their weight lower on the body have more superficial fat layers that are located further from vital organs.
Men with waists bigger than or equal to 40 inches in circumference and women with waists measuring 35 or more inches are considered to have "central obesity." Such individuals should try to reduce their waist size and thereby reduce their risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and related illnesses.
Diet and Belly Fat
There is no magic bullet for reducing your waist size when it comes to diet. No single diet plan has emerged as the best solution to this problem.
However, simple carbohydrates---those found in refined foods such as white bread, candy, cookies, cakes and sweets---tend to bloat the belly and are often stored as belly fat. On the other hand, eating complex carbohydrates such as whole-grain breads and brown rice can help reduce bloating, as their fiber content pushes waste through the digestive tract, removing bulk from the stomach. Such foods are also less likely to end up stored as belly fat, as they provide valuable energy that the body can readily burn as fuel.
Diet, Exercise or Both?
Research on whether waist size is most efficiently reduced through exercise or through dietary means is sparse.
It is possible to remain the same weight but reduce waist size by exchanging fat tissue with muscle tissue through exercise. However, in order to achieve this, abdominal exercises as well as training other major muscle groups are necessary to reduce the body's fat level enough to appear as inches lost--whether around the waist or anywhere else. To build muscle, people must eat ample protein while cutting excess calories from their diet.
In other words, when the body sheds fat or becomes more muscular, a person may lose inches but cannot decide exactly where on the body those inches will be lost. Some people tend to slim at the waist first. Others see initial weight loss on the face, legs, chest or another area.
High-Fructose Corn Syrup
Research has shed light on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a potential contributor to belly fat. Unlike glucose, fructose does not seem to satisfy the appetite, particularly when consumed in sweetened beverages such as sodas, flavored teas and juices that contain added sugars.
Some researchers believe that frequent consumption of HFCS-sweetened beverages leads to the accumulation of fat, especially dangerous central fat. A notable article published in the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" authored by Barry Popkin and other researchers stresses the role of HFCS in obesity.
Metabolic Syndrome
Belly fat or central overweight/obesity is one of the five health parameters named by the American Diabetes Association as a risk factor for metabolic syndrome, or a severe type of insulin resistance that can lead to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other conditions.
Individuals who tend to carry their weight around the middle should ask their doctors about ways to prevent metabolic syndrome and inquire about their specific risks, particularly in light of family health history.
The best way to avoid belly fat and the potential health risks it brings is to stay as trim as possible while remaining at a healthy weight for your height, or a healthy body mass index (BMI).
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