Having excessive amounts of abdominal fat , especially of the visceral type, is associated with negative health effects, including an increased risk of developing diseases such as metabolic disease and fatty liver disease.
Fortunately, there are many healthy ways to reduce excess belly fat , including increasing your intake of nutrient-dense foods, getting enough sleep, and moving your body more.
Subcutaneous fat, or subcutaneous adipose tissue, is the fat that sits under your skin.
Subcutaneous fat is soft, and it's the fat you see 'jiggling' on your belly. In general, women have greater amounts of subcutaneous fat than men.
Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) , or visceral abdominal fat, is the fat that surrounds internal organs like the kidneys, liver, and pancreas, so it's much deeper in your abdomen than subcutaneous fat. This is commonly referred to as "harmful" belly fat.
Compared to subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is much more metabolically active. This type of fat contains more cells, blood vessels and nerves than subcutaneous fat.
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Why excess belly fat can harm your health?
Although having belly fat is normal and necessary for good health, having too much belly fat can harm your health and increase your risk of disease.
Visceral fat is the type of belly fat that is significantly linked to health problems. Even though only 10-20% of total body fat is made up of visceral fat, this type of fat is strongly linked to an increased risk of disease.
This is because visceral fat is an "active" fat, which means it produces hormones and other substances, including inflammatory proteins, that harm your health by increasing insulin resistance , systemic inflammation, blood fat levels and blood pressure.
Visceral fat and your liver
Visceral fat is located near your portal vein, which carries blood from your gastrointestinal tract to your liver for processing. Visceral fat transfers fatty acids, inflammatory proteins, and other dangerous substances to your liver.
Total belly fat and disease risk
Although subcutaneous abdominal fat is not as strongly linked to disease risk as visceral fat, having high amounts of abdominal and total body fat is, so a focus on fat reduction is essential. overall abdominal, not just the visceral type.
Studies show that excess body fat accumulation is a major factor in the development of insulin resistance, blood vessel dysfunction, fatty liver disease, atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.
Now that you know the different types of belly fat and their health effects, you may be wondering how to lose excess belly fat safely and sustainably.
Keep in mind that while diet and lifestyle play a big role in belly fat accumulation, factors like your age, gender, and genetics also have an effect.
Fortunately, there are a number of ways to lose excess belly fat and, in turn, reduce your risk of many health issues.
Effective and Evidence-Based Ways to Lose Belly Fat
Here are some evidence-based tips for losing belly fat :
- Avoid sugary drinks: Drinking too many sugary drinks like sodas has been linked to increased accumulation of visceral fat and a larger waistline. Try replacing sugary drinks with water or sparkling water.
- Get moving: Increasing physical activity can significantly reduce belly fat. Try mixing up your workouts, including high- and low-intensity aerobic activity, as well as resistance training, all of which have been shown to help reduce belly fat.
- Increase your fiber intake: People who eat a high-fiber diet tend to have less belly fat than those who don't. Plus, transitioning to a high-fiber diet can help you lose excess belly fat.
- Cut down on ultra-processed foods: Studies show that frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods like snack foods, sweets, fast food, and refined grain products is linked to a larger waistline.
- Limit alcohol consumption . Drinking too much alcohol can harm your overall health in several ways, including contributing to excess belly fat accumulation.
- Don't skimp on sleep: Poor sleep quality is associated with visceral fat accumulation. Plus, a review of over 56,000 people linked shorter sleep duration to larger waist circumference.
- Increase protein intake: Diets higher in protein can help promote belly fat loss. A study in 23,876 people linked high-protein diets to a smaller waistline.
- Fill up on whole foods: Reducing ultra-processed foods and eating mostly whole, minimally processed foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and healthy sources of protein and fat can support overall health and healthy levels of belly fat.
- Use our dietary supplements : The intake of dietary supplements promoting weight loss and / or stabilizing weight can significantly help you eliminate fat. Of course, with a suitable diet.
