Abdominal fat (also known as abdominal fat or visceral fat) is a particularly dangerous type of fat stored around vital organs like the intestines and liver. “We are in the midst of an obesity epidemic,” says Carol A. Shively, Ph.D.. “Much of the excess fat in many overweight people is in the abdomen, and that fat behaves differently than fat elsewhere. If there is too much of it, it can have far more damaging effects on health than fat located in other areas.” Here are five reasons why people gain too much belly fat. Read on and to ensure your health and the health of others, don’t miss these Sure signs you’ve already had COVID.
Abdominal fat and sleep have an interesting relationship: Sleeping poorly encourages visceral fat growth, but losing weight improves sleep quality, making it easier to maintain abdominal weight. “We found that improvement in sleep quality was significantly associated with overall weight loss, especially abdominal fat,” says Kerry Stewart, Ed.D.. The CDC recommends that adults get at least seven hours of sleep a night, so make it a priority for your health.
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We hate to be the bearers of stressful news, but sadly stress and belly fat are closely related. “Our longitudinal results suggest that clinically relevant depressive symptoms lead to an increase in abdominal obesity, in particular visceral fat, which appears to be stronger and independent of general obesity.” conclude the authors of a study published in JAMA Psychiatry. “This could also help explain why depression is often followed by diabetes or cardiovascular disease. Future research should further unravel these mechanisms because this will provide important information for the prevention or treatment of depression-related health consequences.” depression”.
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Did you know that exercise not only melts visceral fat, but can also keep it away in the long run? One study showed that just 80 minutes a week of exercise helped prevent belly fat from returning a year after participants lost weight. “What we found was that those who continued to exercise, despite modest weight gains, regained zero percent visceral fat one year after losing weight.” says exercise physiologist Gary Hunter, Ph.D.. “But those who stopped exercising and those who followed no exercise regimen at all averaged about a 33 percent increase in visceral fat. Because other studies have reported that much longer training durations are needed, 60 minutes a day to prevent weight regain, it is not too surprising that weight regain was not completely prevented in this study, however it is encouraging that this relatively small amount of exercise was sufficient to prevent weight gain. visceral fat.
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Fresh fruits and vegetables are incredibly good for your health and your belly. One study showed that eating blueberries can help reduce abdominal fat. “The benefits of eating fruits and vegetables have been well researched, but our findings regarding blueberries show that the natural chemicals they contain, such as anthocyanins, show promise in mitigating these health conditions.” says cardiac surgeon Steven Bolling, MD.
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Smoking can cause belly fat, even in slim people. “Smoking increases insulin resistance and is associated with central fat accumulation,” according to an article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. “As a result, smoking increases the risk of metabolic syndrome and diabetes, and these factors increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the context of the global obesity epidemic and a high prevalence of smoking, the increased risk of (central) obesity and resistance to insulin among smokers is a matter of great concern.
