The Impact of Excess Belly Fat on Your Health
Although all body fat poses some health risks, the kind that accumulates in your abdomen (visceral fat) may be particularly dangerous. It makes toxins that boost your risk for heart disease and diabetes and can increase cancer risks.
It’s not possible to spot reduce, so crunches won’t get rid of belly fat, but regular exercise and a healthy diet can help.
Increased Risk of Heart Disease
Most people know that being overweight raises the risk of heart disease, but where the Excess Belly Fat is distributed in the body makes a significant difference. Fat that lurks under the skin, called subcutaneous adipose tissue, is generally considered harmless, while fat in the belly, also known as visceral adipose tissue, is dangerous. This type of fat accumulates in the abdominal cavity, surrounding the organs, and is associated with a host of health problems.
Researchers have linked the accumulation of this type of fat to an increased risk for heart disease, even in those who are otherwise healthy and within a normal weight range. One recent study found that excess stomach fat increases the risk of heart disease by more than three times for those who are considered at a normal weight.
Belly fat is also linked to other health conditions, such as asthma and fatty liver disease, which can lead to non-alcoholic cirrhosis. To help prevent these complications, avoid foods and drinks that are high in trans fats or sweetened with high fructose corn syrup. Instead, choose lean meats, fish, whole grains and low-fat dairy products.
Increased Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
We often think of type 2 diabetes as a disease that mainly affects people who are overweight, but it can also appear in people with a healthy body mass index (BMI). People who store excess belly fat, which is sometimes referred to as visceral fat or abdominal adipose tissue, have double the risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who carry their weight evenly around the hips and thighs.
Having high levels of visceral fat can increase your risk of metabolic syndrome, heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and type 2 diabetes. The good news is that you can lose your excess belly fat by exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet that includes lean proteins, whole grains and plenty of fruits and vegetables, drinking less alcohol and eliminating processed foods.
If you’re interested in learning more about how your body fat measurements can impact your health, the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC) has several valuable educational resources to help. You can also schedule an appointment with a healthcare professional to get more information.
Increased Risk of Gallstones
Studies have found that excess body weight is associated with gallstones, especially when it is carried in the abdomen. Being overweight increases the amount of cholesterol that is in the gallbladder (causing it to be super-saturated) and decreases the gallbladder’s ability to contract and empty bile, both of which contribute to the formation of gallstones.
In addition, being overweight can cause the liver to produce fewer bile acids which further promotes the formation of gallstones. Several risk factors also increase the risk of developing gallstones, including non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, hepatitis C, and insulin resistance.
The good news is that it is possible to lose weight safely without putting yourself at an increased risk of developing gallstones. This can be done by following a low-carbohydrate, high-fiber diet. Additionally, incorporating more exercise into your daily routine can help lower your risk for gallstones. This is because the gallbladder’s ducts are more likely to be unblocked when you move around.
Increased Risk of Stroke
Studies have found that excess belly fat raises the risk of stroke. This is partly due to visceral fat that sits deep inside the abdomen and surrounds your organs. This type of fat releases proinflammatory chemicals that increase the risk of long-term diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. In addition, the fatty acids released by this type of fat can encourage the buildup of plaque in your blood vessels, raising the risk of a stroke.
Your abdominal fat also increases your risk of asthma because it can lead to inflammation throughout the body, including in the airways. In one study, women with a large waist were 37% more likely to develop asthma than those with smaller waists.
Several studies have found that regional fat mass measures (like waist circumference) are better predictors of stroke risk than general obesity measurements like BMI. This is probably because abdominal fat is metabolically active and secretes proinflammatory chemicals. It can contribute to the development of cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which increase the risk of stroke.
Increased Risk of Cancer
The type of fat that accumulates around the abdomen is known as visceral fat. Unlike the subcutaneous fat that lurks as “love handles” or padding on the thighs, buttocks and upper arms, this deeper, metabolically active type of fat can significantly raise your risk for serious health problems like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, gallstones and cancer.
Belly fat can affect a person’s chances of developing certain types of cancer, and even increase the risk of tumor recurrence in cancer survivors. The reason why this is true is unknown, but researchers suspect that it is due to a combination of factors, including the release of inflammatory substances by the adipose tissue, insulin resistance, altered immune responses and increased blood levels of a hormone called ghrelin.
Conclusion
Excess belly fat can also raise your risk of developing asthma. In fact, a study found that women with waistlines larger than 35 inches were 37% more likely to develop the condition than those who had smaller waistlines—even when their weight was normal. The study’s authors believe that this is because visceral fat increases inflammation throughout the body, and thereby increases the risk of asthma.