The idea that being overweight compromises your health and can reduce your lifespan is nothing new. New research has found that the fat in your belly and around your internal organs, known as visceral fat, appears to be more dangerous than fat accumulated elsewhere. It has been linked with an increased risk of a variety of deadly health problems.
Danger Zone
While even people of a relatively normal weight can have too much abdominal fat, research indicates having a waist size of a certain circumference is a strong indicator you have dangerous amounts and will be much more likely to suffer the consequences. According to a report by "USA Today," Dr. George Blackburn associate director of the Division of Nutrition at Harvard Medical School says you fall into the danger zone if you are a man with a waist larger than 40 inches or a woman with a waist larger than 35 inches.
Physical Conditions Linked to Belly Fat
While you regard fat as just blobs of tissue, visceral fat in particular appears to emit hormones and other chemicals that cause inflammation and other harm. For example, the proximity of this fat to the vein that serves the liver can cause these harmful chemicals to enter the liver and affect how it produces cholesterol. Visceral fat has been linked to high levels of "bad" cholesterol and low levels of "good" cholesterol. Visceral fat also releases cytokines, a type of inflammatory chemical that can raise your risk of heart disease by damaging the blood vessels. Excess abdominal fat also affects how your body uses insulin -- the hormone that helps control your blood sugar-- and increases your risk of type 2 diabetes. Other related conditions linked to this fat include high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides and increased risk of stroke. Harvard Health Publications, a service of Harvard Medical School, reports that a European study found women who had a waist to hip ratio greater than .85 were 52 percent more likely to develop colon cancer.
Mental Effects
While you might associate visceral fat with only physical health conditions, research indicates it could also affect your mental health. A study published in the May 2010 issue of "Annals of Neurology" found a link between increased abdominal fat and reduced brain volume. While none of the participants in the study actually developed dementia, lead researcher Dr. Suda Seshadri of the Boston University School of Medicine says that previous research indicates low brain volume serves as a major risk factor for developing this condition. Just like physical health issues, the inflammation triggered by the release of chemicals from belly fat appears to influence brain health. Harvard also points to research presented at the 2005 conference of the Society for Neuroscience that reported excess abdominal fat appears to affect memory and verbal fluency
Reducing Belly Fat
No magical tricks exist to spot-reduce the fat on your belly rather than fat elsewhere. Along with following the basic tenets of increased aerobic exercise and eating a diet rich in low-calorie foods like fruits and vegetables, certain measures might help you lose more fat in your belly specifically. A study conducted at Pennsylvania State University that appeared in the January 2008 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" found that eating a diet rich in whole grains rather than refined grains results in the loss of more abdominal fat. Dr. Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic says research indicates drinking excess alcohol has been linked with having greater amounts of belly fat, with wine being a possible exception. Adding strength training to your routine can help; the more muscle you have, the more calories you will burn even at rest. Harvard Health Publications makes note of a University of Pennsylvania study that found strength training for an hour twice a week helped reduce belly fat more than just aerobic exercise.
Member Comments