The Dangers Of Excess Belly Fat

During a recent television appearance, well-known cardiologist and author Dr. Mehmet Oz caused a stir by announcing that your waist measurement is the most important health indicator. During the exhibition, he explained that if your waist measurement is more than half your height (in inches), you are at serious risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes. This announcement has seen many people look at their measuring tape not just as a way to measure their fitness, but as a way to measure their future.

Why is excess belly fat so important and what to do with all these health risks?

The Benefits of Fat Stomach Damage Your Heart

Some recent studies on the relationship between obesity (especially excess belly fat) and high levels of liver fat have shown that there is a higher rate of fatty liver in those with excess belly fat. Fatty liver is a leading indicator of several lipid and metabolic disorders as well as liver cancer. In these studies, researchers are investigating what causes obese people to have lipid disorders. They found that fatty liver was significantly associated with increased secretion of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL), which contained the highest amount of triglycerides. High triglyceride levels increase the risk of metabolic abnormalities and increased risk of heart disease and premature death.

Reducing excess fat and blood cholesterol are recommended treatments for reducing and reversing fatty liver.

Abdominal Fat Excess Increases Insulin Resistance and Type 2 Diabetes

When we eat, our food, especially carbohydrates, is broken down into glucose so that it can be used to strengthen every cell in our body. However, to be used as energy instead of stored as fat, glucose requires insulin.

Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. The job is to lock the cells in your body so that glucose can enter and be used by the cells as energy. Fat cells, especially abdominal fat cells, reduce insulin sensitivity, making it harder for glucose to pass through the cell wall. Because glucose cannot enter the cells, it stays in the bloodstream (high blood sugar). The pancreas reacts by producing and releasing more insulin. The cycle repeats and gets worse over time. This leads to metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.

Advantages of Large Belly Fat Increase Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Because belly fat is very close to the liver (and is often accompanied by excess fat around the liver), it increases the production of LDL cholesterol (which we don't want to raise!). Cholesterol eventually becomes a waxy substance known as plaque, which clings to the artery wall and eventually causes swelling, narrowing the artery. This narrowing increases blood pressure, which seriously puts pressure on the heart. It also increases your chances of blood clotting, which can cause stroke.

Excessive Abdominal Fat Increases the Risk of Dementia

Advantages of belly fat are also associated with increased risk of dementia. In fact, excess belly fat increases your risk of dementia by 145%! This is the result of the same inflammation in the artery wall, which reduces proper blood flow to the brain.

With all the serious health risks associated with belly fat, it's easy to see that getting rid of excess belly fat should be a very high priority. Fortunately, while we have a lot of "scary" research that shows the risk of stomach fat, we also have all the new research that shows us how to get rid of belly fat quickly, easily and permanently.

Identifying Two Types of Abdominal Fat

There are actually two types of belly fat: subcutaneous fat and viser fat. Subcutaneous means under the skin. This is the fat that you can see and pinch, as it is just under the skin.

Visceral fat is the fat that surrounds your vital organs. In the case of belly fat, your liver is severely affected.

The excess subcutaneous fat around the abdomen is usually accompanied by excess fat around the liver.

The good news: Fat Diet Stomach Treatments attack different types of belly fat.

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