Anyone trying to lose weight knows it's all about burning off
the unhealthy excess fat. But as it turns out, not all fat is created equal—and
not all people who need to lose fat even know about it.
Almost nine out of 10 people are not aware of the risks of
carrying extra fat around their waistline. The danger of visceral fat is
related to the release of proteins and hormones that can cause inflammation,
which in turn can damage arteries and enter your liver, and affect how your
body breaks down sugars and fats. Body fat comes in two varieties:
Subcutaneous fat: The noticeable layer
of fat that lies just below the skin that jiggles, dimples, and causes cellulite.
Visceral fat: Found deeper inside
the abdomen, under your abdominal muscle and around the organs like the liver,
pancreas and intestines. Visceral fat is linked to heart disease, Type 2
diabetes, strokes and other chronic diseases.
Not All Body Fat is
Bad
You may think all body fat is the enemy, but
the fact is, fat cells are an active and intelligent part of the body, and
they produce hormones that impact your brain, liver, immune system and
your fertility. Research shows that the subcutaneous fat found just
under your skin is different from visceral fat in a number of ways. It has
been discovered subcutaneous fat can actually improve glucose metabolism and
communicate with your organs to elicit beneficial effects.
Visceral fat can go completely unnoticed because
it’s not visible to the naked eye. One effective way researchers locate
visceral fat is by taking an (MRI), or a picture of the inside of the
abdomen. Researchers can then use the picture to estimate how
much visceral fat a person is carrying.
What Causes Visceral Fat?
Your genetic makeup is
responsible for some of the amount of visceral fat you carry. However, research
shows that both your diet and your level of physical activity contribute to
your level of visceral fat. People who consume large amounts of calories and
people who perform little or no physical activity are likely to have
high visceral fat stores.
Health Risks Of Visceral Fat
Because visceral fat
accumulates deep within the abdomen, and surrounds organs like the liver and
insulin-generating pancreas, it poses certain dangers to health.
Although men are more likely to be at risk than women of developing certain
diseases, both should be aware of the increased risks of the following
health conditions:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Breast Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer
- Alzheimer's Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Stroke
- High Cholesterol
- Dementia
- Coronary Artery Disease
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Sleep Apnea
§
Visceral Fat In Men
& Women
Again Men usually have More Visceral fat then
women, but women still get it and need to take precautions.
According to a study published in Circulation:
Journal of the American Heart Association, visceral fat may have a greater
impact on the cardiovascular health of older women, than overall obesity.
Danish researchers also found that women with excessive belly fat have a
greater risk of atherosclerosis than those who store fat mostly in
their hips, thighs, and buttocks.
Here's Why:
- The proximity of visceral fat to your liver boosts production of LDL (Bad) cholesterol, that collects in the arteries and forms plaque.
- Over time, plaque becomes inflamed, causing swelling that narrows the arteries, restricting the passage of blood.
- The narrowing passageways increase blood pressure, that strains the heart and potentially damages tiny capillaries.
- The inflammation further increases the risk of blood clots that cause stroke.
The health risks associated with extra
abdominal fat increase with:
Age:
- § Over 45 years in men
- § Over 55 years in women
Ethnicity:
- § African-American
- § Hispanic
- § Asian
...as well as Family History.
Behaviors like cigarette smoking and lack of
physical activity also contribute to poor overall health. Some of these risks
factors can be altered with modifications in diet and lifestyle.
Test For Visceral Fat
Short of talking to a physician into performing an MRI on your
abdomen, how do you know how much of this unhealthy fat you have? Check your
waistline. A trim waistline is a good indicator that you don’t have a large
build-up of visceral fat. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has set the
following cutoff points to identify people who are at high risk of developing
obesity-related diseases:
|
Gender
|
Waist Circumference
|
|
Women
|
Greater than 88 centimeters (35
inches)
|
|
Men
|
Greater than 102 centimeter (40
inches)
|
If your measurements fall above these cutoff points, there is a
good chance that you are carrying a dangerous amount of visceral fat. Even if
your waist circumference does not exceed the cutoff value, making an effort to
reduce your waistline can still significantly improve your health. Kick-start this process with the CLEAN 9 body cleanse.
Foods That Fight Visceral Fat
If you're looking to lose visceral fat, reduce your calorie
intake below your daily burn rate, and make sure that he calories you do
eat should come from fresh vegetables, fruits, whole grains and lean proteins,
such as white fish, chicken breast, tofu, beans and flank steak. Increasing
your protein intake slightly, to about 30% of your total daily calories. You may supplement your protein intake with Forever's Ultra-lite protein shake (vanilla or chocolate flavors, with aminotein which ensures maximum absorption) or the protein-dense chocolate bar, PRO-X.
Good Fats
Research shows that people whose diets contain polyunsaturated
fats in place of saturated fats have less visceral fat. Polyunsaturated fats are
found in:
- § Plant oils
- § Flaxseed Oil (the richest source of omega-3 polyunsaturated fats),
- § Dry & Roasted Nuts (walnuts, almonds, macadamia, pecans, cashews, hazel nuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts and peanuts)
- § Soybean Oil
- § Fatty Fish (salmon, trout, herring, mackerel, black cod & sardines)
- § Sunflower Oil & Seeds (ground flaxseed, poppy, hemp & chia seeds
Healthy Oils
Using healthy oils in place of saturated oils is another way to
get more monounsaturated fats in your diet. You can use monounsaturated oils
for making marinades, drizzling over salads in place of traditional salad
dressing and brushing over meat and fish prior to grilling or baking. These Nut
oils and seed oils provide a good source of monounsaturated fats:
- § Olive oil
- § Flaxseed oil
- § Roasted Almond oil
- § Roasted Peanut oil
- § Roasted Cashew oil
Food Rich In Good Fats
Many foods contain a mixture of several types of fats. In
addition to nuts, seeds and oils, a few other foods contain monounsaturated
fats. These foods include:
- § Avocado
- § Poultry
- § Veal, Pork, Lamb, Eggs & Beef (choose lean cuts such as loin and sirloin, since certain cuts contain high amounts of saturated fat)
- § Olives
- § Dark Chocolate/Cacao
Enjoy dark chocolate in moderation. A 1-ounce serving of dark
chocolate contains about 5 grams of saturated fat and is a concentrated source
of calories.
Whole Grains
A 2010 American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition study
found that people who ate three or more daily servings of whole grains had 10%
less visceral fat than those who ate hardly any or none at all. These
results held true even after researchers adjusted for other lifestyle and diet
factors. Choose foods such as:
- § Barley
- § Brown Rice
- § Quinoa
Foods To Avoid
Avoid Fructose
While fructose is a natural sugar and that’s a positive, too
much of a good thing quickly turns to a negative. Georgia Health Sciences
University published a study on adolescents that showed those who consumed the
most fructose had about 20% MORE visceral fat than those who ate the least.
Avoid items like:
- § Soda, Energy & Sports drinks and many juice blends
- § High-Fructose Corn Syrup
- § Table Sugar
DO NOT STOP EATING NATURAL WHOLE FRUIT! The fiber and other
nutrients in the fruit blunt absorption of the fructose, making it less likely
to cause belly fat gain.
Avoid Trans Fats
Trans fat has a very powerful association with weight gain,
even more than other types of fat. Diets rich in trans fat cause a
redistribution of fat tissue into the abdomen and lead to a higher body weight
even when calories are controlled. Researchers at Wake Forest University
found that trans fats increase the amount of fat around the belly. Trans fats
do this not just by adding new fat, but also by moving fat from other areas to
the belly.
Foods that are likely to contain trans fats are:
- § Stick margarine & shortenings
- § Packaged Foods
- § Bakery Items (pies, crackers, cookies, cakes)
- § Potato chips, corn chips, store bought popcorn
- § Fried fast foods (fried chicken, fried fish, French fries, doughnuts)
- § Hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs
- § Desserts
Avoid Refined Grains
These refined, white-flour
products contribute to belly fat, as a study published in the American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2010 found that adults who
consumed a higher amount of whole grains in lieu of refined grains also had
lower visceral fat in their abdomens. People who reported consuming more
refined grains also had larger waist size measurements. Refined-grain products
to avoid include:
- § White Flour (white bagels, cookies, cakes & white bread)
- § White Pastas
- § White Rice
Other Methods Of Prevention
Get Plenty Of Sleep
The right amount of sleep is key in preventing visceral fat as
well. A study published in Sleep showed that people who averaged
6 to 7 hours a night of sleep had the lowest levels of visceral fat. Above and
below this window were both associated with more visceral fat. Those who slept
less than 5 hours had even more visceral fat! Over a 5-year period, this group
also put on visceral fat about 5 times faster than the healthy group.
Reduce Stress
If your days are full of stress, a flatter midsection will
continue to elude you, because fat in the abdominal area functions
differently than fat elsewhere in the body. Experts do know that high
cortisol levels contribute to abnormal accumulation of abdominal fat, as
research from the University of California, San Francisco, shows that
people with diseases associated with extreme exposure to cortisol (secrete more
cortisol in response to stress), such as severe recurrent depression and
Cushing’s disease have more central fat, regardless of body weight.
Incorporate Cardio Into Your Workouts
Just exercising moderately by walking, swimming, or
playing tennis for 30-60 minutes on most days of the week will help prevent
visceral fat from accumulating. What’s even better is that doing regular bouts
of vigorous exercise can reduce the amount of visceral fat you already have.
Duke University found that people who trained on common pieces
of cardiovascular equipment such as elliptical machines, stationary bikes, and
treadmills for 8 months lost about 8% of their visceral fat. Those who
performed equally intense resistance-type workouts saw NO change in visceral
fat. Cardio wins over weights in this aspect.
Another study showed that the more people exercised, and the
higher their intensity, the faster they lost their excess visceral fat, and
added that jogging 17 to 20 miles a week was a good average to shoot for.
You can lose weight and eliminate visceral fat by getting on the Forever FIT program. It starts off with the CLEAN 9 detox /body cleanse which lasts for just 9 days. Do something today than your body will thank you for.
To your health & wellness,
AdeDolamu
BB: 21D51EFE
E: bodymatters@flp.com
T: +234-8034065551
Credits: http://thescienceofeating.com/2015/01/24/the-dangers-of-visceral-fat/
