We all know that exercising helps us improve our health, but the truth is that since the pandemic we have spent more and more time sitting at the desk. This sedentary life causes fat to accumulate in the stomach and make us feel unattractive. However, the best reason to want to lose that abdominal fat, also called visceral, is because it is very dangerous.
“Visceral fat is a good indicator of the development of metabolic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or heart conditions,” says Dr. Garth Davis, a bariatric surgeon at Houston Methodist Hospital in a statement.
Why is abdominal fat dangerous?
This is the fat that accumulates around the belly and internal organs. It is dangerous because it produces chemicals that can harm the body and increase the risk of serious diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. Additionally, abdominal fat can also make it more difficult to breathe and move comfortably.
Of course, when you lose weight, you lose that visceral fat as well, which is precisely what is found under the walls of the abdomen and that surrounds the intestines. We commonly call it “the belly”.
Not all fat is created equal
As explained by the Houston Methodist Hospital specialist, most of the fat we have under the skin is called subcutaneous fat and we can have it surrounding the sides of the hips, buttocks, thighs and arms; And while it may seem cosmetically unsightly to us, it’s not a particularly harmful type of fat.
On the other hand, the tummy (or belly) is extremely dangerous. It accumulates deep in the abdominal cavity and pushes out into the stomach. It is called visceral fat because fills in the spaces between organs such as the stomach and intestines.
“The heavier a person is, the standard areas where fat accumulates become saturated and it begins to deposit around the abdominal organs and also around the heart. When we perform bariatric surgeries, we notice that the stomach of patients is full of fat, but so are the liver, intestines and all other organs,” says Dr. Davis.
This fat secretes substances called cytokines that enhance heart conditions and make the body less sensitive to insulin, which can lead to diabetes. They also produce a precursor to angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels to constrict, causing blood pressure to rise.
Are you a pear or an apple?
The most accurate way to determine how much visceral fat you have is by having an MRI or CT scan. However, there are simpler ways to tell if you have more visceral or subcutaneous fat.
The first is the shape of your body.
- People with “pear shape”: they are characterized by larger hips and tend to have more subcutaneous fat.
- People with “apple shape”: they have broader waistlines and have a lot of visceral fat.
With a tape measure you can measure your waist circumference and if it is greater than 88 cm in women and 102 in men, it indicates a high and dangerous amount of visceral fat. To make this measurement correctly, place the tape measure at the height of the belly button and not at the narrowest part of the torso. Remember not to tighten the tape when measuring yourself, but don’t make it too loose either.
If your body is too long, those measurements may not be significant and it is best to be aware and regularly monitor if the waist is growing. That can give you a good idea of whether you’re gaining visceral fat.
How can you combat abdominal fat?
First things first: We all have some genetic predisposition to deposit fat differently. Hormones also play an important role, which is why it is seen that middle-aged men deposit fat mostly in the middle while women carry it on their hips and thighs.
Also, there are no weight-loss medications that specifically target stomach fat, and bariatric surgery is only indicated for morbidly obese people who have a BMI (Body Mass Index) of at least 40. The good news is that stomach fat is easily lost, you just need to work on it.
Dr. Davis explains what to do:
- Diet: There is no special diet that only reduces visceral fat. Dr. Davies recommends that his patients eat a diet that is predominantly plant-based, fruit, vegetables, legumes, and low in sugars, meat, milk, eggs, and processed products.
- Exercise: It is not possible to exercise specifically aimed at losing visceral fat, but when you lose weight, usually the stomach fat goes first. Dr. Davies suggests his patients be active, but not kill themselves with exercise. Just 30 minutes to an hour of exercise 5 days a week and 8,000 to 10,000 steps a day will make a noticeable difference.
- Dream: Having enough hours of sleep is essential. It is known that people who sleep between 6 and 7 hours a night gained less visceral fat than those who sleep less than 5 or more than 8 hours a night.
- Stress: Do the best you can to limit it. Get together with friends and family, relax in nature, meditate and exercise.
Editorial Team The editorial team of EMPRENDEDOR.com, which for more than 27 years has worked to promote entrepreneurship.