Why visceral fat is dangerous and how to get rid of it

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

A big belly can cost you your life.

What is visceral fat

Visceral Fat Visceral Fat is a type of fat that accumulates in the abdominal cavity and is located near vital organs, including the liver, stomach and intestines.

In the video below, subcutaneous fat is highlighted first, then visceral fat.

As a rule, excess visceral fat occurs in obese people. But since it is located inside, under the abdominal muscles, a relatively small belly does not guarantee its absence.

In general, excess amounts of any fat - subcutaneous or visceral - disrupt hormonal profiles, cause inflammation in the body, and increase the risk of serious illness. However, the visceral is recognized as especially dangerous.

Why visceral fat is dangerous

Fat is more than just energy stores for a rainy day. Fat cells - adipocytes - release hormones, growth factors and pro-inflammatory cytokines that affect neighboring cells, tissues and organs and alter metabolism.

In adipose tissue, as in other cells of the body, there are several types of macrophages - cells that destroy bacteria and damaged tissue. Macrophages of the M2 phenotype protect against inflammation, while the cells of the M1 phenotype, on the contrary, increase it.

When the amount of visceral fat increases, the balance shifts PPARδ / β: The Lobbyist Switching Macrophage Allegiance in Favor of Metabolism towards Obesity is associated with macrophage accumulation in adipose tissue of macrophages M1. They begin to produce Metabolic obesity: the paradox between visceral and subcutaneous fat inflammatory cytokines interleukins-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and the hormone resistin. The role of resistin as a regulator of inflammation: Implications for various human pathologies.

All this leads to chronic inflammation in the body, and this, in turn, to atherosclerosis Inflammation and Atherosclerosis, Visceral adipose tissue and atherosclerosis, cardiovascular Cardiovascular disease under the influence of excess visceral fat, Body fat distribution, in particular visceral fat, is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors in obese women diseases and metabolic Metabolic obesity: the paradox between visceral and subcutaneous fat, Why Visceral Fat is Bad: Mechanisms of the Metabolic Syndrome disorders, including loss of insulin sensitivity and diabetes Visceral Fat Mass Has Stronger Associations with Diabetes and Prediabetes than Other Anthropometric Obesity Indicators among Korean Adults, Comparison of the associations of body mass index and measures of central adiposity and fat mass with coronary heart disease, diabetes, and all-cause mortality: a study using data from 4 UK cohorts 2nd type.

In addition, increased amounts of resistin have been linked to diseases such as osteoporosis, asthma, Crohn's disease, chronic kidney disease, autoimmune diseases (lupus erythematosus), and cancer.

Also, some studies show that visceral fat releases inflammatory markers and fatty acids that enter the liver through the portal vein. Over time, this can lead to fat build-up in the liver, decreased insulin sensitivity, and diabetes.

How to tell if you have excess visceral fat

To accurately determine the presence of visceral fat, a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan must be done. However, these tests are expensive.

But there is a more affordable way to get an idea of how much fat has accumulated in the abdominal area - by measuring the waist circumference. Despite the simplicity of the method, it is widely used in hospitals and gives Computed tomography scans of intra-abdominal fat, anthropometric measurements, and 3 nonobese metabolic risk factors, Measures of abdominal obesity assessed for visceral adiposity and relation to coronary risk, fairly accurate results.

First, divide the space between the bottom rib and the protruding pelvic bone (iliac crest) in half - this is where you measure your waist. Often this line runs at the level of the navel, but not always.

Then, wrap a tailoring meter around your waist. Make sure the tape is flat against the body all the way through. Stand relaxed during the measurement, do not suck in your stomach.

If the waist is larger than What Is Visceral Fat ?, Taking aim at belly fat, Diagnosis and Management of the Metabolic Syndrome 88–92 cm in women and 102 cm in men, it is likely that excess visceral fat is present.

The good news is that you don't have to lose a lot of weight to reduce your health risks. Even a small weight loss and a decrease in waist circumference significantly improves insulin sensitivity, blood pressure and low cholesterol levels.

How to eat to reduce visceral fat

Instead of rigid diets that threaten breakdowns and a set of extra pounds, you can change your eating habits to healthier ones and gradually get rid of visceral fat.

Consume more protein

Protein increases the feeling of satiety, spends additional kilocalories for absorption and helps maintain muscle mass. And the more muscles you have, the more energy is spent on maintaining them, even at rest.

People whose diets include 1–1.5 g of protein per kg of body weight generally have Higher ‑ protein diets are associated with higher HDL cholesterol and lower BMI and waist circumference in US adults, Intake of macronutrients as predictors of 5 ‑ y changes in waist circumference Lower body fat and waist circumference than those who do not consume enough protein.

Eat at least 9-10 grams of protein at each meal.

Add chicken, eggs, cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, red fish, chickpeas, beans, and other legumes to your diet - all healthy sources of dietary protein that are also rich in micronutrients and vitamins.

Eat soluble fiber

Fiber is dietary fiber that is not absorbed by the body. They can be insoluble and soluble: the former leave the body unchanged, the latter turn into a gel-like substance in the large intestine and are fermented by bacteria.

Soluble fiber slows down the absorption of carbohydrates and avoids a spike in blood sugar after a meal. In addition, it influences Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits by releasing the hormones ghrelin, YY polypeptide and glucagon-like peptide, which reduces appetite and ensures satiety for longer.

It helps to get rid of fat in the waist area without strict calorie restriction. Consuming an additional 14 grams of fiber per day for four months contributes to a loss of about 2 kg, and every 10 grams reduces the accumulation of visceral fat by 3.7%.

Aim to consume at least 25 grams of fiber a day if you are a woman and 38 grams if you are a man.

Add cereals, whole grain breads, legumes, pears, apples, apricots and nectarines, almonds, flax and sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, bran, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts to your diet.

Cut out sugary drinks and cut back on sugar

Sugary drinks are directly related to the amount of visceral fat. Fructose, a simple carbohydrate found in table sugar, plays a key role.

A study found that 10 weeks of consuming sugary fructose drinks leads to a significant increase in visceral fat. The same amount of carbohydrates from water with glucose builds up fat throughout the body, not just the belly.

An inverse relationship is also observed: just nine days of a diet with starch instead of sugar reduces the amount of visceral fat in children by 10%.

If you cannot do without dessert, choose fruits, mixtures of nuts and dried fruits, seeds - these foods are at least rich in soluble fiber and healthy vitamins and minerals.

Which diets help reduce visceral fat

In theory, any calorie-deficient diet should result in a loss of visceral fat, but in practice, some eating patterns appear to work better than others.

Low Carb Diet

Several studies at once Association of decrease in carbohydrate intake with reduction in abdominal fat during 3 ‑ month moderate low ‑ carbohydrate diet among non ‑ obese Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes, Effects of diet macronutrient composition on body composition and fat distribution during weight maintenance and weight loss have shown that low-carb diets reduce visceral fat faster than low-fat meal plans.

So, in one A lower ‑ carbohydrate, higher ‑ fat diet reduces abdominal and intermuscular fat and increases insulin sensitivity in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes experiment, a diet low in carbohydrates (43% of total calories) helped participants lose 11% of visceral fat in eight weeks. The other group consuming more carbohydrates (55%) lost only 1% of their waist fat in the same time.

Another study found that cutting carbs did a good job of removing visceral fat, even with a higher calorie diet. Participants who ate 1,855 kcal per day with 9% carbohydrate lost significantly more visceral fat than those who ate 1,562 kcal per day with 60% carbohydrate.

The keto diet is one of the options for a low-carb diet. It can be a good tool for reducing belly fat. Just before getting on it, consult with a physician or dietitian.

Intermittent fasting

Intermittent fasting implies that you alternate periods of eating without restrictions and a complete ban on food or severely reduced calories. For example, go hungry 1-3 times a week or cut calories to a minimum.

One of the milder options is intermittent fasting. This is a routine in which you break the day up into periods of eating and fasting. Let's say you eat for 8 hours and fast for the next 16.

A review of scientific studies has shown that intermittent fasting is effective in reducing belly fat. In 6-24 weeks, you can lose 4-7% of visceral fat in How to Get Rid of Visceral Fat, and at the same time do not deny yourself anything on days of normal nutrition.

How to deal with visceral fat with exercise

Engage in aerobic exercise

Aerobic, or cardio, is physical activity in which your muscles have enough oxygen to work. This is brisk walking, running, swimming, cycling, dancing and other exercises that you can perform for a long time without rest and burning in the muscles.

Aerobic exercise effectively burns A dose ‑ response relation between aerobic exercise and visceral fat reduction: systematic review of clinical trials visceral fat and does a much better job A systematic review and meta ‑ analysis of the effect of aerobic vs. resistance exercise training on visceral fat strength training. In 10-16 weeks of aerobic exercise, you can lose The Effect of Exercise on Visceral Adipose Tissue in Overweight Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis from 15 to 45% visceral fat without any diet.

To get this effect, you need to exercise regularly - at least three times a week, arrange long sessions from 60 to 120 minutes and work at a pulse of 60–85% of your maximum heart rate (220 is your age × 0, 6–0, 85).

At the same time, the best results are provided by a combination of aerobic and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). In one experiment, this exercise regimen reduced visceral fat by 45% in just 8 weeks.

Try HIIT

This is a training method in which short periods of maximum intensity work are alternated with intervals of rest or recovery activity. For example, when you run as hard as you can for 20 seconds and then jogging for 10 seconds.

In the HIIT format, you can perform any aerobic exercise: running, cycling, working on cardiovascular equipment, as well as strength movements with your body weight or additional weight. Due to the high intensity, such a workout will burn more calories than the same time of quiet cardio.

Effect of High ‑ Intensity Interval Training on Total, Abdominal and Visceral Fat Mass: A Meta ‑ Analysis of scientific studies has shown that HIIT is as effective in reducing visceral fat as aerobic exercise, but at the same time wasting The effects of high ‑ intensity interval training vs. moderate-intensity continuous training on body composition in overweight and obese adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis 40% less time.

If you are very busy, this is a good option for reducing your waist circumference. But keep in mind that high intensity can be difficult at times, and HIIT only works well if you give it your best. Try, for example, replacing 1-2 cardio sessions with high-intensity interval workouts lasting 15-25 minutes.

What else to consider when dealing with visceral fat

Get enough sleep

Lack of sleep decreases insulin sensitivity and levels of the hormone leptin, which makes you feel full, and increases ghrelin and cortisol, hormones that increase hunger and cravings for sugary foods.

Together, this is serious Sleep Duration and Five-Year Abdominal Fat Accumulation in a Minority Cohort: The IRAS Family Study, Association between reduced sleep and weight gain in women, Associations between short sleep duration and central obesity in women raises your chances of abdominal obesity. For example, in one study, people who slept 6 hours a night accumulated 26% more visceral fat in six years than those who slept 7-8 hours.

The quality of sleep also matters. People who suffer from sleep apnea - sleep disturbances due to breathing problems - are more at risk of developing abdominal obesity than those who do not.

Learn to deal with stress

Even if you change your diet and increase your level of physical activity, visceral fat can stubbornly persist in the body due to chronic stress.

Like lack of sleep, stress increases stress and hormones, Minireview: glucocorticoids-food intake, abdominal obesity, and wealthy nations in 2004. And the more of this hormone is produced. until the last.

Eliminating stressful events from your life or changing the characteristics of the nervous system so that you suddenly turn from an anxious person into a nausea will not work. But you can fight your reactions to negative events.

Fortunately, there are scientifically proven tools for this. For example, yoga A randomized comparative trial of yoga and relaxation to reduce stress and anxiety, Rapid stress reduction and anxiolysis among distressed women as a consequence of a three-month intensive yoga program, Association of yoga practice and serum cortisol levels in chronic periodontitis patients with stress ‑ related anxiety and depression, Antidepressant efficacy and hormonal effects of Sudarshana Kriya Yoga (SKY) in alcohol dependent individuals, meditation Mindfulness meditation training alters stress ‑ related amygdala resting state functional connectivity: a randomized controlled trial and respiratory Effect of short ‑ term practice of breathing exercises on autonomic functions in normal human volunteers, Activation of the anterior prefrontal cortex and serotonergic system is associated with improvements in mood and EEG changes induced by Zen meditation practice in novices, Clinical utility of paced breathing as a concentration meditation practice stress and both in the course of classes and after them.