The fact is that most diabetics carry too much belly fat.
It has visible fat and is usually soft and squishy, which is why it is often called a "love handle" when it is around the waist. If you are not overweight and lead an active life, this type of fat is not dangerous, even if your belly sticks out a little. This only becomes a problem if you are overweight.
Visceral fat is different. It doesn't look like that. This is because it is "deep fat", i.e. it lies in the abdominal wall where it surrounds the organs and releases hormones (which is why it is also called "active" fat). Too much of this fat can result in the release of excessive amounts of hormones… this causes inflammation that puts you at risk for a variety of health problems.
Unlike subcutaneous fat, visceral fat can cause the stomach to harden. Even though you can't see how visceral fat builds up, your belly is getting bigger. A hard, protruding stomach signals danger.
Why is visceral fat bad?
Many chronic health conditions are caused and/or exacerbated by this type of fat.
In heart disease...visceral fat cells release cytokines, chemical messengers that affect the activity of other cells, such as those that control blood pressure, cholesterol, and insulin regulation. Since cytokines affect the functioning of organs, it is not good to have them in the body. Elevated blood pressure and high cholesterol contribute to heart disease. Young women tend to gain subcutaneous fat on the hips and thighs, while young men usually add visceral fat to the abdomen. Thus, men in their 30s are more prone to heart disease than women. Women are more at risk of visceral fat later when they reach menopause.
Diabetes... people who are overweight or obese are 90 times more likely to develop diabetes because belly fat affects how your organs work. Studies show that people with deep belly fat lose sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood glucose levels.
If you have diabetes or are diabetic, you need to lose weight and reduce visceral fat to normalize your blood sugar.
Cancer... cancer is caused by mutations in our cells. The more often our cells divide, the greater the chance that one of them will mutate into a cancer cell.
So more fat means more opportunities for cancer to develop.
Back tension and pain... your core, the abdomen or center of your body, needs to be strong to have good balance and healthy joints and to protect yourself from injury. When these core muscles are weak, you need to balance the back muscles. As a result, you are likely to strain and experience chronic back pain.
What causes visceral fat?
There are many reasons why you gain waist fat... eating too much... getting older... family traits... alcohol... stress.
Overeating... when we take in more calories than we use in our daily activities, our body stores the excess calories as fat. We all need to eat less.
As we age... as we age, we begin to lose muscle mass and gain fat. This is normal, but it means that if we don't learn to eat less, we will gain weight, that is, we will become fat.
If your parents had excess visceral fat, chances are you will have too much if you don't take steps to stay slim and lean.
Alcohol... drinking a lot of intoxicating beverages (wine, beer, or spirits) contributes to the accumulation of a "beer belly", which is visceral fat. But note that a beer belly can be developed by drinking wine or spirits, not beer.
Stress... the constant high levels of stress we experience in modern life causes cortisol, the stress hormone, to build up in our systems. Over time, this hormone leads to an increase in the amount of fat around our belly.
Who is most at risk for visceral fat?
Anyone at any age who overeats (i.e. eats more than they burn during various activities) will develop belly fat. But, it increases with age, especially in women.
Those most at risk for developing excess visceral fat are... Caucasians... African-American women... Native Americans and women from the subcontinent... people who drink sugary drinks... those who are already overweight or obese.
So if you want to trim down to a smooth tummy line, forget the pills, cleanses, and herbal remedies and ignore the miracle cures... you can get rid of belly fat with a healthy diet and plenty of exercises.
Reduce belly fat with a diet
One of the best ways to reduce both types of belly fat... subcutaneous and visceral... is to create a caloric deficit, i.e. eat fewer calories than your body burns. All you need to know is to do a rough calculation of the calories you eat each day and reduce that number by at least 25%. It's not too hard and it works.
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