Visceral Fat Dangerous–The Health Risks of Having More Belly Fat
🆘 : The WHO defines overweight as a BMI higher than or equal to 25, while obesity is defined as a BMI higher than or equal to 30.
- According to the CDC the obesity among US adults in 2017 – 2018 was 42.4%. ❗️
- Since 1975 worldwide, overweight and obesity has nearly tripled❗️
- At the end of the last century, no more than 15% of people were obese, but recently analysts confirm that this number has increased to more than 30%. ❗️
- In 2016, overweight people were more than 1.9 billion adults(18 years and older), and over 650 million of them were obese. ❗️
- The data in the same year shows that overweight or obese children and youths age 5-19 were more than 340 million.❗️
Nowadays, the increased rate of overweight and obese people around the world, especially in the U.S., has been very shocking. Millions of adults experience health challenges, and obesity is one of the most prevalent diseases affecting around 100 million people.
Sources: World Health Organisation(WHO), Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention(CDC)
Medics widely use Body Mass Index for screening the health of the population due to the correlation between having a high BMI with specific health problems. It’s because the higher BMI values are an indicator(at most cases, but there are exceptions) of overweight and obesity–conditions that put the person at a higher risk of severe health consequences. Those are diseases such as:
- Cardiovascular Diseasses (heart disease and stroke)
- Diabetes
- Musculoskeletal Disorders (osteoarthritis)
- Sleep apnea
- Some cancers
- Fatty liver disease
- Kidney Disease
- Pregnancy Problems
People who are at high BMI should consider how to lose weight, so in that way, to decrease possible risks for their health. Aiming for a healthy weight is a great choice and should be the target of every self-respecting person, but there is a question with the accuracy of BMI!!!
Reminder: BMI is simply a screening tool, and it is unacceptable to make diagnoses based on it. If someone is concerned about their health, they should meet a medical provider who can make more measurements and give a professional opinion.
Does it always applicable to every person the rule that the risk for these diseases is higher with BMI rises? And if someone is with high BMI, does that mean for sure that they are at a higher health risk?
Being with TOO MUCH fat—and especially if that extra fat is in the ABDOMINAL area—places significant metabolic STRESS on all the body systems and increases the RISK of diseases significantly
BMI, by itself, gives a general picture but cannot precisely define the distribution of the fat throughout the body, which is essential information to determine whether our weight put us at any health risk.
Therefore, nowadays, many experts say that instead of relying on the BMI results, you should consider the location and amount of your abdominal fat, and indeed, they are right.
The BMI index is accurate for people who are very underweight or very overweight but appears to be less reliable to determine the health risk for individuals who are slightly overweight or slightly underweight.
Let me explain.
Some individuals are with overweight BMI scores in the 25 to 29 ranges, but they feel good, and in fact, they are in great shape and health. Actually, their BMI will be inaccurate and misleading, and this is because their body shape is larger or because their muscle mass is more, which at all is no problem.
In another example, there are individuals with healthy BMI but with a big tummy, which means that they wear a lot of abdominal fat. That tummy place the person in the risk of cardiovascular diseases, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and so on.
In cases like this, BMI also would not be accurate, and the reason is that BMI measurement does not show how body fat is distributed throughout the structure of the body.
So because of that, while the BMI score is sometimes useful and easy to measure, there are other means to help you estimate the index of the possible health risks.
Abdominal Fat: Something with significant meaning for our health which BMI misses to display
Why your waist size is important?
By measuring the waist size, you can find out what is the amount of excess body fat around your waist, or your abdominal fat
According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, weight appraisal involves using three key measures: BMI calculation, Waist Circumference, as well as the person’s risk factors for diseases and conditions correlated with obesity.
Measuring your waistline is an easy way to verify if you’re not carrying too much fat around your waist.
Because, being with a big tummy, can RISE your risk of appearing of symptoms such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, chest and back pain, and developing diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and cancer.
Even if you have a healthy BMI, you’re still at risk of developing these diseases due to having too much belly fat.
How to measure waist circumference?
The simple fact is – THE BIGGER YOUR WAISTLINE, THE HIGHER YOUR HEALTH RISK
In the past, hardly our grandparents could rely on online calculators and any other electronic devices to estimate whether they are with a healthy weight.
Answer one simple question
If your BMI score is in the “overweight” category, you just have to answer this one simple question…
Whether your waistline is less than your hip size?
+”yes” If so, then probably you are one of these people in great physical shape, and the “excess” weight that contributes to your BMI value is simply muscles and not fat.
—”No” If the answer is “no,” and you have extra fat that is mainly located at your midsection, there is a reason for concern.
However, not all abdominal fat is equal, but more importantly, for you to know which one is more dangerous?
Why is The Excess Of Abdominal Fat So Dangerous?
If your fat is stored mainly on the legs, back, or butt, this brings you fewer risks than compared if your fat is mostly stored in your abdominal area
The fat that is in your butt and the other regions noted above in their big part is mainly composed of so-called subcutaneous fat.
What is subcutaneous fat?
Subcutaneous fat is a type of fat that you can pinch because it is located under the skin, between your skin and muscles.
It is a fat that is not directly associated with metabolic risk. If present in your body in moderate amounts, it will not drastically increase your risk of diseases.
Having a certain amount of that fat is normal and healthy, but too much can lead to hormonal imbalance and sensitivity.
The fat gained inside and around your belly area is mostly so-called visceral fat.
What is visceral fat?
That is the fat that is strongly associated with metabolic syndrome and health conditions such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease(2).
Visceral fat is HORMONALLY ACTIVE fat because it releases substances that provoke occurring and development of disease processes in the human body.
The excess accumulation of that fat is strongly associated with many different chronic diseases(3), and scientists point out that it appears to be the most dangerous body fat for us.
Why Visceral Fat is So Harmful For Our Health?
Fat cells not only storing the body excess energy but influence on other important things. They also produce hormones and inflammatory elements.
Especially the visceral fat cells that are particularly active and produce even more inflammatory markers, such as IL-6, IL-1β, PAI-1, and TNF-α(4).
The release of these hormones can promote over time long-lasting inflammations, which will boost the risks of severe and chronic diseases(5).
For example, long-lasting inflammations can cause artery plaque, which is a critical risk factor for occurring and develop any heart complications.
This plaque is a substance compounded mainly of bad cholesterol and other elements, but worse is that it can grow larger over time.
Although it is a serious problem, this is not an irreversible process and can be prevented by taking of required health-related actions and lifestyle changes.
There are excellent possibilities for prevention and naturally fixing the bad cholesterol problem if it is not so advanced.
Because during the time it can can lead to developing many severe conditions including:
— Insulin resistance
— Heart disease
— Type 2 diabetes
— Colorectal and breast cancer
— Alzheimer’s disease
Portal Theory
There is a theory that also helps explain why visceral fat is harmful. It is the so-called “portal theory.”
According to the “portal theory,” the visceral fat releases free fatty acids and inflammatory markers that reach the liver traveling through the portal vein.
This process can lead to storing fat in the liver, which potentially can lead to fatty liver diseases, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.
To what important conclusion do the all above facts lead …?
We should aim to Lose Body Fat in the first place rather than merely just seek to lose body weight
Surprisingly, most people want to lose weight instead of losing fat.
The reason is that more than 90% of the people who aspire to lose weight do not understand the fundamental difference between dropping weight and fat loss. So let me explain.
What is the difference between Weight Loss and Fat Loss?
Weight loss is nothing more than a reduction in your overall weight, which, in essence, includes loss of body tissues like body fat, muscle mass, and water.
You can obtain weight loss in numerous ways…
You can lose weight by decreasing water content in your body. You can lose weight by losing the bad fat in your body. Or you will also achieve weight loss by losing your muscle mass.
But be aware, there are ineffective WEIGHT LOSS paths!!!
* If you lose weight by losing water content in your body, you will regain your weight soon, which is a waste of time and effort. The opposite is true; the excellent hydration aids your weight-loss efforts by restricting hunger and improving fat burn.
* If you drop weight by losing your muscle mass, you will also lose with that a lot of your energy and strength lowering your metabolism rate.
The MUSCLES💪 and WATER💧 in your body are the main factors for better metabolism and hence for BETTER weight control, therefore, best will be not to lose them.
Your muscles are with a critical role in successful weight control
If you aim healthily and safely lose weight, you should consider regularly working for their strength and tone.
Why? Muscles have these little fat-burning energy workspaces called mitochondria.
Mitochondria are accountable for the production of energy, and this is the place where the fat is metabolised.
There is an interconnection between the amount of muscle mass and the number of mitochondria in our body. It is simple. Being with more muscles is equal to more mitochondria, which means that you are with more big potential to burn fat successfully.
Therefore, the object to successful weight loss is to preserve as much muscle as possible or even try to gain some, while meanwhile lose as much body fat as possible.
Long-term changes in body weight result from a build-up of lean muscle and drop of body fat, which is what you need to aim for.
Remember!!!
Body Mass Index is a just a raw measurement. If you’re concerned check your health with a doctor.