6 Deadly Facts About Visceral Belly Fat

Is your belly fat putting your health at risk? Here’s how to tell – and why it’s so dangerous to your health.

You may think of belly fat as just that annoying part of you that keeps your pants from fitting right, but it is actually a lot more dangerous than you might think. In fact, excess belly fat has been found to increase the risk of a wide array of illnesses and diseases.

You see, there is a type of fat that is actually stored underneath your muscles in your belly region, and this type of fat has been linked to numerous health problems. Many people don’t realize this, but it could cost you your life if you are not aware of how dangerous it can be, and if you don’t take steps  to correct the issue before it’s too late.

While there are other types of fat, the type that is stored under the skin, called subcutaneous fat, is not nearly as dangerous to your health, though you still might not like the way it looks.

So how can you tell if you’re at risk? If you have a waist circumference larger than 35″ as a woman, or 40″ as a man, you are likely to be at risk for health concerns linked to visceral belly fat.

Here are 6 reasons why visceral belly fat is so dangerous to your health:

1. Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

Several studies have shown that abdominal obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes (4).

Excess abdominal fat can cause metabolic issues like glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia (high levels of insulin), and insulin resistance, all of which contribute to type 2 diabetes.

This is because ab fat is hormonally active, secreting a group of harmful hormones called “adipokines.” These hormones may impair glucose tolerance and can interfere with the normal function of hormones (5).

This will makes you more susceptible to a whole host of health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

……………………………………………………………..
……………………………………………………………..

Bear in mind that insulin is a crucial hormone that helps the body burn energy. But when it’s thrown out of sync, it tends to lose its power and the body responds by pumping out even more insulin, causing hyperinsulinemia. This throws your body further out of balance in terms of fat burning and it also increases fat storage.

2) Its Proximity to Organs

A Harvard study reported that visceral fat is considered dangerous for your heart because it’s located near the portal vein, which goes from your stomach to your liver (6).

Any chemicals released by cells within the visceral fat will have a negative impact on your liver, which is nearby and can lead to faster absorption.

The metabolic consequences of these adverse chemicals once they hit the liver include:

• An increase in LDL “bad” cholesterol
• The lowering of HDL “bad” cholesterol
• Insulin resistance

3) Blood Lipid Disorders

Blood lipid irregularities associated with central obesity includes high levels of triglycerides and reduced levels of HDL cholesterol, which causes an increase in the triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratio (3).

High triglycerides are often a sign of central obesity because when you eat, your body converts any calories it doesn’t need into blood lipids. They are stored in fat cells and although unclear about the mechanisms, high levels of triglycerides may add to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, reducing blood flow through the vessels (7).

There is a huge link between atherosclerosis and the risk of strokes, heart attacks and disease.

Current research suggests that high triglyceride levels can go hand-in-hand with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes and low levels of the thyroid hormones. Interestingly the thyroid hormones, T3 and T4, are pivotal to fat burning because they play an important role in controlling your metabolism.

………………………………………………………………………….

4) Alzheimer’s disease

There is evidence to suggest that central obesity has a strong link with Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

A 2010 study examined 700 adults and the results indicated that higher levels of visceral fat, regardless of the overall weight were linked to smaller brain volumes and dementia (8).

……………………………………………………………….

Although much of the research is in its infancy for Alzheimer’s disease, having too much visceral fat seems to be a strong correlating factor that can be controlled with the correct measures.

5) High Blood Pressure

It is well established that hypertension – or high blood pressure – is a contributing factor for heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes. High blood pressure is far more common in people who are obese (9).

Studies have indicated that there is a very strong link between abdominal fat and hypertension, and that there is a particular association between obesity, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and variations in waist circumference (10)….

………………………………………………………………..

6) Asthma and Breathing Difficulties

Visceral abdominal fat can make breathing hard by decreasing lung volume, tightening the muscles around the trachea, and narrowing airways.

This is commonly observed in individuals with obesity, because they their breathing is rapid and increased frequency, whilst inhaling smaller volumes of air (12). One study found that 75 percent of patients were more likely to be hospitalized with asthma if they were obese….

Read the full article at YuriElkaim.com…