No matter what the case may be, you do not have to be fat to have too much belly fat. It does not matter what size you wear, you don't have to see the belly fat for it to affect your health and appearance. There are two types of stomach fat: one that you can see and one that lies within the inner lining of the skin.
No need to panic, we need some fat in our bodies. So, having just enough is fine, but too much can cause health problems. Not all is created equal. "It reacts differently in different places," says Carol Shively PhD, professor at Wake Forest School of Medicine. In addition, the reaction is the key to what your fat is doing to you.
People store most of their fat in two ways:
Just under the skin in the thighs, hips, buttocks, and abdomen. That is subcutaneous (under the skin) fat.
The deeper fat is around vital organs (heart, lungs, digestive tract, liver, etc.) in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis. That's called "visceral" fat.
Subcutaneous is the fat we can see and visceral is the fat we cannot see.Fat does not just sit idle. It acts like an organ that secretes substances, says Kristen Hairston, MD, who is assistant professor of endocrinology and metabolism at Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Visceral fat provides cushioning around organs, Hairston says, "it dishes out a lot of nasty substances" that can be absorbed by the neighboring organs. For instance, visceral fat cells release inflammatory compounds that can lead to insulin resistance and some cancers. Moreover, increases your risks of high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, dementia, and cancers of the breast, colon, and endometrium.
The truth about abdominal fat
Everyone has the visceral fat no matter what size you are. When you gain weight, you gain both subcutaneous and visceral. Where you store your fat depends on your genes, and lifestyle (stress, and getting enough sleep), age and sex.
Men under 40 tend to have more visceral fat than women. Women store more of this fat after menopause.
"Everybody is going to have fat in both places, the concern is how much." Hairston tells WebMD.
In an obese person, the fat runs out of places to store and goes for the organs such as, the liver and heart.
Most experts agree that, no matter what your weight, a waistline that is over 35 inches for women and over 40 for a man indicates that you may have unsafe levels of visceral fat. Measure your waist to find out your waistline size.
If you are tired of being overweight or just want to get in better shape here are some effective methods that will help you melt away unwanted tummy fat. There is no one particular food that will help you lose visceral fat, but you will lose all kinds of fat by making important changes in your diet and lifestyle.
A High fiber diet may help. Hairston's research shows that people who eat 10 grams of fiber a day, without making changes to their normal diet, have less visceral fat over time than others. Two small apples, a cup of green peas, and a half-cup of pinto beans, are examples. Avoid fattening foods such as fried, bad carbs and high sugary beverages.
Too much or too little sleep plays a role in the build up of visceral fat. A study published in Sleep tracked adults' visceral fat over five years. People who slept five hours or less, or eight or more hours, per night gained more fat than those who slept between six and seven hours per night. The study does not show that the sleep was the only cause, but it may contribute to the fat build- up.
Stress management can help. Chronic stress you face in personal life and society, such as discrimination. The American Journal of Epidemiology showed that African-American and white women who reported experiences of discrimination had more visceral fat than women who had not had such experiences.
Not necessarily saying the if you are discriminated against you will gain weight, but Shively research focuses on social stress and visceral fat that the body can respond to all types of social stress by storing fat. You cannot control society's behavior, but you can control your reactions to it.
Working it out
Vigorous aerobic exercise has been shown to trim subcutaneous and visceral fat. In addition, it has been proven to prevent the accumulation of deepest fat over the years. In a Duke University study, 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity, done four times per week, reduced both types of abdominal fat. Resistance training by its self decreased only subcutaneous fat. The Elliptical, walking, bike riding are also vigorous workouts.
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