Health Risks of Having Belly Fat

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Thanks to the sedentary lifestyle we are leading that we have become accustomed to earning handsome salaries without indulging much in physical activities. Apart from the sitting job, it is our laziness towards exercising and lack of our will power to avoid those lip smacking high calorie junk foods that has been a huge reason for those love handles. Love handles, spare tires, fat packs or whatever nick name you wish to allot for those ugly looking abdominal fat. They are undoubtedly hampering our cardiovascular health, lowering your immunity levels, giving your digestive system a difficult time and inviting a whole lot of lifestyle diseases you cannot even imagine of.

Rising stress, inadequate sleep and poor lifestyle habits have been researched as some of the common causes for excessive abdominal fat or scientifically known as visceral fat. This fat is one of the major factors that are responsible for release of toxins that can negatively influence the way your bodily systems work. Among these toxins is a chemical named cytokines, which improve the chances of heart diseases while disrupting your insulin activities. According to some researchers held in the American Cancer Society, these cytokines can even cause inflammation, increasing the chances of cancer development in the body, especially in the colon, pancreas and oesophagus.

Sometimes, the hanging of fat above your jeans may not increase your weight and this widening of inches signal you that your health is at risk. It has been researched that men and women who have waist measuring more than 40 and 35 inches, respectively, must not consider to moving onto larger sized pants. They must start exercising and eating healthier that will gradually help in removing those excess fat deposits in the tummy area.

It has been also found that in comparison to the fat deposits in hip and thigh areas, it is the belly fat that can cause havoc on the blood sugar levels, metabolism rate, cholesterol level and assimilation of nutrients in the body. Here are a few prominent health risks associated with belly fat that motivate you to amend your lifestyle today:

#1. Greater Risk Of Suffering From Asthma

Medical experts have revealed that intra-abdominal fat is a major determinant for a shoot in health risks. Central obesity or excess belly fat can definitely improve the chances of asthma. The fat deposits inside the abdomen that surrounds various organs causes reduction in the lung volume, tightness of muscles and narrows the airway. It is commonly noticed that people who are obese find it difficult to breathe slowly as the narrowed airways compel them to inhale small volumes of air in quick succession. A study has concluded that around 75 percent of asthma patients are either overweight or obese.

#2. Affects Insulin Metabolism

The excess deposit of fat in the abdomen region may also create problems in the release of the insulin hormone, which helps the body burn energy. When the fat tends to lose sensitivity to insulin, it triggers more of insulin production that causes a complete imbalance in the internal system. This is the reason for insulin resistance syndrome or metabolic syndrome, which has been affecting people across the globe at an alarming rate. This is why there has been a stupendous surge in the number of people suffering from type 2 diabetes.

#3. Abdominal Fat Can Also Be A Reason For Alzheimer’s Disease

Since obesity is largely associated with vascular and metabolic disorders, it has been analysed that people who boast belly fat are highly susceptible to suffer from Alzheimer’s disease. A study conducted in over 700 adult volunteers revealed that higher volumes of abdominal fat were associated with smaller brain volumes, which increased the risk of dementia. Based on many logistic analysis, it was therefore, found that patients with excessive belly fat are at enormous large risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.

#4. Body Either Becomes Apple Or Pear Shaped

The shape of the body reveals the genes and the lifestyle of a person. It has been researched that women generally, gain weight on the lower part of the body, making them look like a pear. Men however, put on excess weight on the tummy region and thereby, their body gains shape like an apple. This is the major reason why men are more prone to suffer from heart diseases in their mid 30s and early 40s. The sedentary lifestyle is contributing a lot in the increasing visceral fat. Sitting continuously for hours, watching TV, rising stress, sleeping insufficiently and consuming more fast food has become the perfect recipe for excess belly fat. A study found out that eight months of rigorous inactivity can increase your belly fat by 9 percent and on the contrary, people who exercised continuously for a span of eight months, reduced their abdominal fat by 8 percent.

#5. It Takes Hard Work To Lose Those Heavily Pampered Love Handles

Slight showing up of love handles is itself an indication that you are doing something wrong to your health. It is a matter of fact that you won’t realise how you actually managed to pack in this extra layer of fat but you will face a tough time in losing it to get back to a healthy physique. If you don’t prioritise losing the slight increase in weight, then probably this ignorance will bring in a package of diseases in long run. However, if you are thinking to visit the cosmetic surgeon to get this fat removed from your body, then there is no guarantee that your health will get restored. Many patients who got their excess fat removed via surgery, did not find themselves safer from the risk of heart diseases. The surgery did not lower the blood sugar level or improvex the insulin resistance. The best way is to consult a doctor for listing down a healthy way of losing weight. Petty lifestyle changes can bring vast improvement in your health and following a healthy routine will drastically lower your chances of suffering from lifestyle diseases.

For those who desperately want to save their hard earned money and keep themselves fit, here are some quick tips to address this belly fat issue:

#1. Go Natural

Junk foods or processed foods are your biggest enemies. Hydrogenated oils, refined flour, artificial colours, flavours and preservatives are largely responsible for those spare tires around your tummy. If you are a person who is constantly on the go, carry home cooked food or fruits to munch on. Get more of natural food to let your body get nutrients, not toxins.

#2. Avoid Sugar

We hardly notice how much sugar we actually consume in a typical day in the form of unlimited cups of coffee/ tea. Excessive sugar consumption is stored in our body as fat deposits and if you start cutting down on sugar, you will definitely notice reduction in weight in just 15 days.

#3. Have Salads Before Meals

Give your body a boost of vitamins, minerals, natural enzymes and antioxidants by consuming salads. You must have these salads in good quantities before meals so that you feel full early. Your body will automatically restrict the flow of excess calories in the body by reducing your temptation to eat further.

#4. Have Fruits Instead Of Juices

Having fruits juices as substitutes to tea/ coffee is good but stopping the consumption of fruits will not help in boosting your health. If you want to give a kick to your digestive system, then don’t waste the abundant fibre stored in fruits. Moreover, fruit juices may contain added sugar, which will do no benefit to your weight management goal. Grab more of fruits to have more fibre and replace your unhealthy snacks with yummy and nutritious fruits.

#5. Keep Yourself Moving

Your sitting job is working as slow poison. It is actually causing those tires to peep out on both sides of your waist. While exercising regularly is a must, it is also important that you don’t sit continuously for 8 hours. Take short breaks every hour and do some stretching exercises. When you are talking on your phones, just ensure that you walk for short distance. Take the stairs and at home, stop watching television and go for evening walks too.

#6. Sleep Tight

Lately, many medical experts have raised their opinion that lack of sleep is one of the major causes for diabetes, mounting stress levels, weight gain, etc. Sleeping for 5 hours is not suffice for the body and mind to repair and rejuvenate. It takes around 7 to 8 hours of sound sleep for leading another day with zest and zeal.

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