Regardless of what you look like, it’s pretty common knowledge that
excess belly fat can lead to many health problems. When it comes to body fat each
year brings new evidence that the fat lying deep within the abdomen is more perilous
than the fat you can pinch with your fingers.
Typically, approximately 90% of body fat is of the subcutaneous
type, found just beneath the skin. If you were to press your abdomen, the
softer fat you'd feel is the subcutaneous fat. In contrast, the remaining 10%,
referred to as visceral or intra-abdominal fat, is situated beyond our reach,
residing beneath the firm abdominal wall.
Although visceral fat makes up only a small proportion of body fat,
it plays a significant role in various health problems. Visceral
fat makes more of the proteins called cytokines, which can trigger low-level
inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and other chronic illnesses. It
also produces a precursor to angiotensin, a protein that causes blood vessels
to constrict and blood pressure to rise. Moreover, concerns such as cardiovascular
disease and diabetes are just the tip of the iceberg, with more diseases like
dementia, asthma, and breast cancer for women also lurking beneath the surface.
With that said, how should you go about tackling this problem? Here
are a few things that you can do to lower the risk of developing these
problems.
1. Physical Exercise:
A 30-minute modest-intensity exercise can go a long way and you can
achieve this by simply doing a brisk walk or cycle. Make a conscious effort to
stay physically active in your daily tasks like choosing to take the stairs
instead of the elevator or parking far away from the destination so that you
have to walk.
2. Eating Right:
Choosing a healthy and balanced diet is crucial in maintaining a
healthy weight. Avoid food with heavy fat and simple sugar food and beverages.
3. Don’t Smoke:
Smoking makes you more likely to accumulate fat in your belly
rather than distributing it to your hips and thighs.
4. Get Enough Sleep:
A 5 years study has shown that adults below 40 who sleep 5 hours or
less a night tend to accumulate more belly fat than those with a proper amount
of sleep. Don’t overdo it, though. Because getting too much sleep can yield the
same result.
Source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/taking-aim-at-belly-fat
