Belly fat, the most stubborn of all fat deposits, poses serious health risk to people. While many people try to find quick fixes on web by searching ‘how to reduce belly fat quickly’, there are no shortcuts to getting rid of the visceral fat which often surrounds internal organs and eventually make metabolism difficult inviting a plethora of lifestyle diseases. The problem of belly fat isn’t limited to obese people. Even people who have a perfect BMI can also be struggling with belly fat and can face similar long-term health risks. Adopting healthy lifestyle measures that slowly and surely kill belly fat is the only way to fight this health issue.
From modifying your bedtime and becoming an early sleeper to having a nourishing breakfast, even simple measures can go a long way in getting rid of this pesky fat accumulation. If you have so far been casual about your food choices and skipped essential nutrients like Omega-3 fatty acids, protein, nuts, fish etc, you can fix these dietary habits immediately to reap long term benefits. Sugary snacks and refined grains must be eliminated from your diet if you need a leaner stomach.
If you are largely sedentary, and rarely move your body, your belly fat is unlikely to bid adieu anytime soon. Take those stairs, do a 30-minute exercise, Yoga and a range of indoor aerobic exercises if your schedule doesn’t permit additional time in the morning.
Dr. Charu Dua, Chief Clinical Nutritionist, Amrita Hospital, Faridabad in an interview with HT Digital shares with us what exactly is belly fat, its health risks and lifestyle changes to reduce it.
What’s belly fat?
Belly fat or visceral body fat (fat stored inside the belly/abdomen, around the organs, including the liver and intestines) or commonly known as abdominal fat is probably more dangerous of all. Abdominal fat/obesity is seen in people having apple-shaped body and is associated with more health issues as compared to other body types.
What happens if I am slim but have more fat around belly
If a person has more fat around the abdomen (or your waist circumference is high) but is not overweight, risk of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, liver disease, cancer is higher as compared to people with smaller waist or less visceral fat.
How belly fat can cause diabetes
Visceral fat as stated, is stored and grows in abdominal cavity and fills the spaces between the organs. It slows down our metabolism, may cause insulin resistance and thus result increase of blood sugar and your risk of type 2 diabetes.
Source: HT