Visceral fat is more dangerous, wrapping itself around internal organs and increasing risk for health conditions like heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure.
One simple way of detecting too much visceral fat is by measuring your waist circumference. A woman whose waist measurement exceeds 35 inches may be at risk.
Waist Measurement
Many people believe that belly fat is a telltale sign of poor health, yet not all belly fat is created equal. Some forms can be felt directly with fingertips (subcutaneous fat) while visceral fat lies deeper within the abdomen, surrounding organs such as liver and intestines – potentially increasing stroke risks, diabetes risks and cancer risks.
Measure your waist circumference to get an estimate of visceral fat accumulation. With the help of a tape measure, place it around your torso from just above your hip bone (ilium) all the way down to below the bottom rib cage – be sure to remove any clothing or other objects which might obstruct this measurement!
Visceral fat is more dangerous than subcutaneous fat in that it increases your risk of heart disease, fatty liver and diabetes by disrupting normal hormone functions and inflaming abdominal organs and tissues. Your diet and lifestyle also play a part in how much visceral fat your body stores; diets high in fatty foods and sugar and low in fiber may contribute to higher levels of visceral fat storage while exercise can help decrease it.
Location, which can be determined by genetics and environment, plays an integral part in how much visceral belly fat you carry around with you. A healthy diet and regular physical activity are the best ways to manage visceral fat, which is typically difficult to eradicate from the body.
One with high visceral fat may be at increased risk for high blood pressure, sleep apnea, diabetes and heart disease. To combat this problem, one way to lose belly fat would be following a customized eating and exercise program like Noom which offers tailored eating and fitness plans specifically tailored for you and helps establish new healthy habits in an ongoing fashion. Furthermore, keeping track of waistline measurements over time could give an indicator of increased visceral fat storage.
Blood Tests
Some blood tests can help assess how much visceral fat you possess. One such test measures your level of triglycerides – a type of fat which accumulates in arteries – while another assesses your HDL cholesterol, which may help decrease cardiovascular disease risks.
Visceral fat differs from subcutaneous fat in that it accumulates deep within your abdominal muscles and surrounds organs, often in your abdomen. Visceral fat has been linked with insulin resistance, heart disease and cancers and its amount varies based on factors like age, gender and ethnicity; stress, poor diet and inactivity may also play a part in contributing to visceral fat build-up.
Visceral fat secretes hormones and chemicals that interfere with normal hormone communication among organs, leading your liver to produce too many triglycerides and raise cholesterol, risk insulin resistance and diabetes, or increase cancer risks – hence why regular check-ups and leading a healthy lifestyle is so crucial.
If you have a large waistline, your doctor can measure your body fat percentage and tell if there is too much visceral fat stored. They may also use waist-height ratio as an indicator of risk; this ratio measures waist circumference divided by height – healthy ratios should fall under 0.55 in men and women respectively.
Understanding your blood test results is critical to making informed decisions regarding diet and exercise habits. Once submitted for testing, your sample is sent off to a laboratory where trained technicians look for information provided by your physician – this process typically takes up to a day or more!
Utilizing waist measurements and blood tests can give a general idea of your visceral fat levels; however, their accuracy cannot be guaranteed. For instance, some people who exhibit signs of abdominal fat may actually not contain much visceral fat at all – rather their stomachs may contain subcutaneous fat that’s easier to pinch between fingers than visceral fat. No matter the results of the tests you undergo, it remains important to maintain a balanced diet with regular physical activity to promote the best health possible.
Imaging Tests
Subcutaneous fat is easily accessible. Visceral fat lies deep within your belly, covering organs such as your heart and causing stroke, diabetes, cancer and other ailments to manifest themselves. Though visible to us humans, visceral fat remains a serious health risk that cannot be seen; but measuring your waistline or conducting a body mass index (BMI) test will give a good idea as to its presence or absence.
Visceral fat raises your cholesterol levels and puts you at increased risk of heart disease, but it may also wreak havoc with your memory. A study from Oita Red Cross Hospital in Japan discovered that women who carry more visceral fat tend to have reduced brain volume in the hippocampus region responsible for memories and emotions compared with women without as much visceral fat; further research indicates the likelihood of having small strokes increases with increased visceral fat.
Visceral fat can increase your risk for insulin resistance, leading to both diabetes and pre-diabetes. According to research, visceral fat secretes retinol binding protein 4 which causes this. Visceral fat has also been linked with other cardiovascular risk factors including high triglycerides and blood pressure.
No matter your genetic makeup, there are things you can do to reduce visceral fat and keep your belly slim. Avoiding foods high in unhealthy fats, sugars, and salt is key; focus on filling your diet with whole grains, fruits and vegetables instead. Additionally, strength training exercises will gradually build muscle while burning off calories over time.
Losing belly fat may not be easy, but it is achievable. By changing your diet and engaging in physical exercise, you can improve your health, boost your mood, and gain greater self-confidence about your appearance. For optimal results, consult with a physician about how best to proceed in losing visceral fat so as to avoid potentially serious health complications.
Lifestyle Changes
Visceral fat, stored deep within your belly and surrounding internal organs like liver and intestines, poses serious health risks that must be managed carefully. An easy way to determine how much visceral fat there is on your body is using tape measures to measure waist circumference; once that reaches 80 cm for women and 94 cm or higher for men respectively, its risk for chronic diseases increases considerably – although this does not apply to children and pregnant women.
An additional way of assessing whether you have too much visceral fat is to measure your belly. You might discover that your figure is more apple-shaped than pear-shaped, which indicates more visceral fat production in your system and thus weight gain as well as potential serious health problems down the road.
Make changes in your lifestyle that can reduce visceral fat. First, cut back on sugar intake – as sugar is often one of the biggest contributors to belly fat. Sugar can be found in many processed foods like baked goods, soda and candy; try replacing this with whole grains and cutting down on processed sweeteners such as high-fructose corn syrup and artificial sweeteners for better results.
Be sure to get sufficient exercise and follow a nutritious diet, both of which will help you shed belly fat more effectively than simply cutting back on calories alone. Exercise that burns fat while simultaneously building muscle may prove more successful at eliminating visceral fat than simply restricting calories alone; exercises targeting large muscle groups such as squats and deadlifts could prove particularly effective at this.
Limit your sodium consumption and increase fruit and vegetable consumption; these may both help to decrease visceral fat. Avoid too many processed or fried food items containing trans fats which cause your body to store more visceral fat.
