Belly Fat - Health Risks

Abdominal obesity or central obesity colloquially known as belly fat is the accumulation of fat around the waist and abdomen. Obesity develops when there is less expenditure of energy compared to the consumption, especially when energy rich fatty food is consumed in large proportions and at frequent intervals. This excess energy which the body cannot spend is deposited around the internal organs like organs inside the peritoneal cavity. This is called visceral fat. Accumulation of visceral fat can have long standing implications on the health of the person.

Fat is accumulated in women’s body as they grow older. There are three definite stages in women’s life where there is an increased tendency to put on weight. During menarche, after child birth and during and after menopause are the different stages during which women gain weight. The hormonal changes are responsible for this tendency. The style of distribution of fat also changes in women as age increases. Perimenopausal women often notice the fat deposition around the belly.

Belly fat can be extremely disturbing for the women as it can affect their body image. Many look for corrective measures and exercises. But there are a lot of who don't take care of their appearance or health and land up in severe health problems

Metabolic syndrome is a term used to describe a group of disorders which can follow abdominal obesity. Excessive visceral fat or the accumulation of fat inside the peritoneal cavity can lead to abnormalities in cholesterol, increased risk of clotting, high blood pressure and the inability of the cells to respond to insulin (insulin resistance). It is very essential to control the belly fat in preventing diseases like diabetes, hypertension and heart diseases. It is important to understand that the belly fat is not only the fat under the skin.

Abdominal obesity is diagnosed by measuring the waist circumference. It is the circumference which is measured at the level of umbilicus using an inch tape. The measurement is to be taken with light clothing when the person breathes normally. People of India and Asia have a tendency towards abdominal obesity. For this population, the body mass index may be within normal limits; but the waist circumference will be above normal. A value above 80 cm is considered abnormal in Asian population for waist circumference. For the western population, waist circumference above 88 cm is considered high risk.

Insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas is responsible for the uptake of glucose into the cells of muscles, liver and other tissues from blood. The presence of belly fat will impair the ability of the cells to respond to insulin probably because of the effect of hormone adiponectin secreted by the visceral fat. This is known as insulin resistance. Insulin resistance will lead to an elevated level of glucose in the blood leading to hyperglycemia and diabetes.

Belly fat can lead to hypercholesterolemia –increased level of LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) and low levels of HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol).

Visceral fat acts like a separate organ and secretes some mediators of inflammation called cytokines which may cause chronic inflammations or cardiovascular diseases.

Inflammatory changes inside the blood vessel can lead to formation of blood clots and may result in stroke.

Visceral fat can increase the risk for colorectal cancer and breast cancer.

Diet: Replace simple carbohydrates like white bread, refined rice etc. with complex carbohydrates (fruits, vegetables, whole grain, rice with bran etc.

Consult a dietician and plan the diet so that you do not drastically reduce the intake which may have unexpected deleterious effects.

Reduce the intake of fat and replace saturated fats (red meat, coconut oil etc.) with polyunsaturated fats.

Exercise: Regular moderate intensity activity like walking and jogging for 30 minutes or 60 minutes will be helpful.

Spot exercises like sit – ups may not be helpful in reducing abdominal fat.