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September 27, 2020 4:17 pm
Belly fat linked to early death, study finds
(CNN)It's more bad news for America's growing waistline: Excess belly fat is associated with a higher risk of early death from any cause, regardless of how much overall body fat you have, a new study finds.
In women, each 10-centimeter increase in belly fat raised the risk of death from any cause by 8%. For men, each 10-centimeter increase in girth raised the risk of by 12%.
The better news: Larger hips and thighs are associated with a lower risk of early death, according to the study published by the The BMJ on Wednesday. That may be due to a protective effect that fat on those areas provides toward higher cholesterol and blood sugar levels, according to prior studies.
Those findings are a result of an analysis of 72 studies involving more than 2.5 million participants who were studied from three to 24 years. All of the studies explored various measures of weight around the middle of the body, long thought to be a significant risk factor for metabolic resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes, heart disease, and more.
"Our results suggest that measures of central adiposity (fat) could be used as a supplementary approach, in combination with body mass index, to determine the risk of premature death," the authors said.
The role of belly fat
Most measurements of weight focus on the body mass index or BMI, which takes your weight in kilograms and divides it by the square of your height in meters. (there are online tools you can use to calculate your BMI).
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If your BMI is less than 18.5, you're considered underweight. Your weight is considered normal if your BMI falls between 18.5 and 24.9. You are deemed overweight when your BMI is between 25 and 29.9 -- over 30 BMI indicates you are obese.
But critics point out that BMI doesn't differentiate between lean body mass and fat mass and doesn't give an indication of where the fat resides. That's a problem because existing evidence suggests more fat around the middle -- and abdominal fat is often known as "beer bellies" in men and belly fat in women -- are more associated with chronic disease than an overall rating of obesity.
Here's why the fat around the middle is so dangerous. Too much belly fat points to a buildup of a unique type of fat, called visceral fat, around various internal organs, such as the liver, pancreas, and intestines.
Visceral fat is called 'active fat' because it affects hormone function by secreting a protein that leads to increased resistance to insulin, thus setting us up for type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, excess cholesterol, heart disease, some cancers, and Alzheimer's disease.
Visceral fat is different from the pinchable fat we see in our arms, legs, thighs, and "love handles" on the hips. That's called subcutaneous fat, which doesn't affect hormones.
Besides eating too much and exercising too little, just why does belly fat occur? Scientists think cortisol, the stress hormone, may play a role -- cortisol increases insulin resistance, which adds to fat deposits.
Do you have excess belly fat?
To tell if you have potentially dangerous abdominal fat, take out a soft tape measure. Then, while standing straight with a relaxed stomach (no sucking in allowed), measure your tummy a few inches above your hips.
Are you in belly fat danger? For women, the key figure is thought to be 35 or more inches (89 centimeters) around the stomach, for men, it's 40 inches (102 centimeters).
What to do?
Doing crunches isn't going to melt visceral fat; that will only tone your abs.
Diet and exercise, however, seem to be better at tackling visceral fat than subcutaneous fat.
You need to make sure you have more calories going out than calories in to make that happen -- by either limiting your calorie intake or exercising more:
- Focus on a plant-based diet full of fresh or frozen veggies and fruits
- Choose lean sources of protein and low-fat dairy products
- Eat only whole grains -- not processed cereals, breads, muffins and the like
- Cut back on sugar -- avoid processed cakes, cookies, and sugar-sweetened beverages
- Watch your portion sizes (Tip: use a salad plate instead of a dinner plate)
- Add muscle strengthening and weight training to your routine. Muscle burns more calories than fat.
- Jumpstart exercise by doing moderate aerobics, such as brisk walking, for at least 150 minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as running, fast biking, swimming, or team sports, for at least 75 minutes a week
Tip: Use the talk test to check your level of intensity, suggests the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Can you talk but not sing? Then you're exercising at a moderate level. Can't say more than a few words without stopping to take a breath? You're doing a vigorous exercise.
You may not see the results on the scale, so experts suggest taking a waist measurement before you begin your war on belly fat and measuring periodically to check. You may find inches dropping off your waist before your hips -- and that's a good thing.
September 29, 2020 3:22 pm
So i am going home, eating a salad and buying a treadmill! But really, it is interesting to read about different types of fat and the effects on the body. I know that not eating healthy and not exercising is not how you become healthy. But i didnt know that visceral fat can increase the chances of type 2 diabetes and alzheimers! That's a scary thought. So, i need to read more on the body, educate myself and that will probably be my biggest motivation
Topic starter
October 6, 2020 10:35 am
I have been cutting back on processed foods and trying to walk more. I do not like the treadmill. Visceral fat is dangerous so I want to do what I can to stay healthy as I age
Topic starter
October 6, 2020 10:39 am
I do think stress causes very bad things to happen in our bodies. I have been trying to think of taking some deep breaths when stressed. It does me no good to stress over things that might happen and what I cannot control. Hopefully, my BMI will lower after eating a better diet and controlling my stress better
October 7, 2020 1:31 pm
I guess chick fil a doesn't burn visceral fat huh? That's unfortunate. I have always bounced back and fourth from dieting to not dieting, I was diagnosed with a CBED which is a compulsive binge eating disorder so the slightest amount of stress can make me go off. I cope with food and its not eating carrots and celery. I think we all struggle when it comes to food, making good choices and just finding a medium ground. People get so set on eating a 1500 calorie diet to "lose weight" and basically starve themselves in the process while restricting carbs and other foods eventually you will snap and binge then you give up because you feel defeated. If people would understand it is okay to treat yourself to something once in a while and you don't necessarily have to restrict yourself from carbs I think we would all be better off. Instead of focusing on restricting, not eating carbs, not eating fat; worry about portion control, make sure you're eating all of the food groups on your plate so you fill up faster, drink lots of water, and exercise.
January 10, 2021 3:31 pm
I've always been pretty good at eating my fruits and vegetables. Fortunately I can usually eat whatever I want whenever I want but I know I won't be able to do that forever so I need to adopt better eating habits now. I don't really eat that much processed food because I just don't like the way it makes me feel. For breakfast I normally have a smoothie with loads of berries, fruit, and collagen powder added in it, but some days I need to run out the door and I grab a bar or something processed and I can feel it later in the afternoon making me feel sluggish and tired.
January 10, 2021 3:33 pm
Stress caused me to gain a little weight when I was in collage. I wan't used to the workload that was being put on me and I didn't know how to manage my time very well. Eventually I figured it out and lost the weight but I think stress was a big factor in my weight gain during that time.
January 11, 2021 1:19 pm
@amandamooreiectskin-com I just bought collagen powder and I cant wait to see how it helps me!
January 11, 2021 1:22 pm
I am a sucker for those frozen meals because they are quick and help with portion control, but everything in them is so bad its almost pointless! We have been doing better with making smoothies and I just bought collagen to add to my smoothies. I have struggled with my weight since I graduated high school and especially after I had my son. It took an entire year to lose the weight I gained when I was pregnant with him. We are being much more concious about our choices and reading the labels more often. I have also started a plant based diet to see how that affects my body!It does feel like a never ending journey.
Topic starter
January 12, 2021 11:00 am
I also use frozen meals Madison. They are easy but that always is not good. They tend to have a lot of sodium and fat. I like to buy a chicken to have different meals from through the week. I have struggled with my weight too through the years. I have seen a difference eating salad before the meal because it fills me up so I dont eat as much of the main meal. I can still have the things I like , just less
March 10, 2021 11:30 pm
@madisonmendebabiciectskin-com I too read the back of labels for everything I'm buying. I really don't like to keep anything in the house that has more than 10 grams of sugar per serving, usually... I do have to say that my husband and I are a sucker for Ben& Jerry's ice cream, but we try to not make the splurge a regular thing. And I agree trying to lose weight or eating right really is like a never ending cycle. It's truly all about consistency which is the hard part.
March 16, 2021 8:38 am
I used to major in exercise science at ODU so nutrition was a big component of my major and the one thing i remeber realizing so vividly is that in leading a healthy life its not about trying to look a certain way, its about making sure your body is physically healthy. eating a balanced diet and exercising is so important, yeah being a certain size might be in right now but being on top of things like sugar intake, visceral fat, sodium intake is way more important than being that certain size. i also remember learning that bmi is kind of an outdated tool because it doesnt factor in lean to fat body mass, which gave me a huge feeling of relief because the bmi scale is kind of harsh
March 16, 2021 8:40 am
@noracrainiectskin-com i really need some kind of home gym equipment, sometimes its so hard to make it out to the gym, and finding the motivation to workout at home is a struggle in its self
Topic starter
March 21, 2021 3:47 pm
I can understand your love of Ben and Jerry ice cream. I do not buy ice cream as I would eat way to much then beat myself up because I ate it. Potato chips are bought once in a while but I can't eat just one. I have been watching my fat intake. I'm getting older and have high cholesteral. I can/t take statins with all the side effects. I have started using Red Rice Yeast on the advice of my doctor. I'm hoping it will help. I do need to exercise and I have been walking more. Body image has always been a problem for me.
