Visceral Fat is a deadly health issue that isn’t talked about enough outside of the health and medical community, but it should be. It’s the killer fat that hides in your belly and wraps around your vital organs. While some visceral fat is good because it protects organs, too much can cause health problems and has been linked to serious conditions like stroke, some cancers, type 2 diabetes and more.
Anyone can have visceral fat regardless of their body type and weight. It is caused by many factors such as poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and lack of sleep. Unlike subcutaneous fat, which you can see and touch, most people don’t know they have visceral fat and don’t take steps to get rid of it. But this can be harmful and dangerous for your health. “Visceral fat is associated with insulin resistance and inflammation, which can lead to metabolic problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.” Alem Kanji, MD Ethos Endocrinology, PLLC tells us.
While visceral fat is incredibly unhealthy and increases your risk for a variety of health issues, the good news is that it’s easy to get rid of subcutaneous fat. according to Cleveland Clinic, “It’s actually a loss of fat instead of fat loss. This is because your body can cause it to become fat or talk to you and by choosing and eating a healthy diet, you should start seeing results in two to three months.” Eat this, not that! Health spoke to experts who share what you need to know about visceral fat and how to lose it.
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Dr. Naheed A. Ali, MD, PhD with USA RX explains”Visceral fat is harmful. It’s in the stomach and surrounds the organs (like your liver and kidneys). Visceral fat causes more health problems than other dietary problems. Visceral fat can stimulate the hormones that cause diabetes. Heart health is affected. It damages blood vessels and cholesterol. It increases the risk of heart disease. It can cause liver damage. It can also cause other weight gain (for example, in your arms or legs).
Dr. Daniel AtkinsonClinical Lead Treated.com says, “Visceral fat is very deep in our upper body, and when we have a lot of it, it puts pressure on some of our vital organs, like the liver, heart, and lungs. This basically means they can’t function properly – so For example, the liver can’t filter out toxins at the normal rate, our heart can’t pump blood, and our lungs can’t pump as much. Chances are higher, so it’s important to try and limit visceral fat to help reduce your risk of all of the above.
Dr. Atkinson says, “Measuring your waist (taking a tape measure over your stomach instead of taking your pant size) is a good indicator if you’re a woman and your waist is greater than 35 inches.” Or if you’re a man, if your waist is over 40 inches, you’re probably at risk. ) or overweight (30 and over) then you may have unhealthy visceral fat There are smart scales that can tell you what your body fat percentage is – if it’s unhealthy it’s supposed to be more than 25%. If you are male and more than 32% or female, some studies like it This one They found that smart scales can be inaccurate when measuring body composition.
Kent Probst, Personal Trainer, KyPsychotherapist and bodybuilder with Long healthy life He added, “One of the telltale signs that you have body fat is a body mass index (BMI) of 25.0 – 29.9. A BMI in this range increases a person’s risk of type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, high blood pressure, and cancer. Asians have health problems at lower BMIs.”
Dr. Dev Batra Interventional Radiologist │ Owner and Founder │ Dallas Vein Institute explains”There are a few different ways to tell if you’re losing visceral fat. One way is to measure your waist circumference. If you have a lot of visceral fat, you may have a larger waist circumference. Another way to tell is to measure your body fat percentage. If you have a lot of visceral fat, you may have a high body fat percentage. You can have a CT scan or MRI to directly measure your visceral fat levels.
“Body composition techniques such as dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) can help monitor total body and visceral fat. These imaging techniques are expensive and less commonly available. More cost-effective and easy to do is waist circumference. With visceral fat,” Dr. Kanji said. It is an approximation made with data to suggest an existing relationship.
Leanne Poston MD, MBA, M.Ed. with TeleMDNow Shares”Changes in hormone levels with age, weight gain, and severe stress all increase visceral fat. The best indicator of too much visceral fat is to measure your waistline. You are at greater risk if your waistline is 35 inches or more for women or 40 inches or more for men. You can’t target visceral fat so the best way to get rid of it is to reduce total body fat and increase muscle mass.
Dr. Kanji adds, “Weight loss through lifestyle changes can lead to a reduction in total body fat. Evidence to suggest a similar reduction in pharmacological treatment.”
Dr. Atkinson says:of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention He recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise each week (eg, jogging or brisk walking for 30 minutes five times a week), plus two days a week of muscle-strengthening (eg, lifting weights or doing bodyweight exercises like push-ups). Keeping this up week after week will help you lose weight.
Dana Ellis Huness PhD, MPH, RD, Senior Dietitian at UCLA Medical Center, Assistant Professor at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and Cambridge University Press author of the new book, A recipe for survival He says: “Aerobic exercise (not just exercises like crunches) is enough to help you lose weight and build muscle. If you’re burning enough energy/calories from exercise and a healthy diet, you’ll lose fat all over the place, which (eventually) will Visceral fat is not the first fat you lose, but eventually if you are eating healthy and exercising to maintain a healthy weight, you will lose it.
“Stress activates the hormone cortisol in your body,” says the Cleveland Clinic. Excess cortisol activates your body’s “fight-or-flight” response, which causes more visceral fat to be stored. Try yoga or mediation to lower your stress levels.
According to Yale Research“Cortisol exposure can increase visceral fat – the fat that surrounds organs in animals. People with diseases that are high in cortisol, such as major recurrent depression and Cushing’s disease, have excess visceral fat. “Everyone is prone to stress. But some people may secrete more cortisol than others, and may secrete more cortisol whenever they experience the same stressor.
Huness explains.A healthy whole-foods, plant-based diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, which are anti-inflammatory, high in fiber, which helps with cholesterol levels and reduces inflammation in the liver and other organs. So is the body. This can cause you to lose visceral fat, because if you’re losing fat anywhere, you’re losing fat there.” Dr. Batra added, “Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains can help improve your metabolism and help you feel less hungry.
Cleveland Clinic “A healthy diet includes lean proteins, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, fruits and vegetables. Try to limit trans fat, refined sugar, sodium, and processed foods. A low-carb diet, such as the ketogenic (keto) diet. Your body uses fat instead of carbohydrates. It helps reduce visceral fat by training it to burn fuel.