What is Visceral Fat, Its Risks & Ways to Get Rid of it

Having a belly that hangs over the waist not only gives you an unattractive look; but is dangerous for a number of reasons. Ignoring it can result in life threatening conditions. Here is an insight into the various aspects of visceral fat.

What is a Visceral Fat?

What is a Visceral Fat?

Visceral fat is different from the subcutaneous belly fat. This fat is stored deep beneath the skin. It is the accumulation of excess intra-abdominal adipose tissue and forms a gel like covering around organs like kidneys and pancreas. Visceral fat cannot be seen easily but brings about major changes in the functioning of your body.

Reasons Why Visceral Fat Is Risky?

Visceral fat releases retinol binding protein. This protein increases insulin resistance even in people who have never had diabetes or prediabetes. Visceral fat can also increase blood pressure very fast. Visceral fat can be a precursor for serious diseases, which can prove to be fatal in the long run. These diseases are cardiovascular diseases, stroke, type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, and colorectal cancer. This fat can also result in depression, arthritis and obesity. Visceral fat is also known to cause sexual dysfunction and sleep disorders. It can also trigger inflammatory diseases and can cause hormonal imbalance in the body. These hormonal imbalances can affect appetite, weight and mood. Hormonal imbalances have a deep impact on the functioning of the brain.

How Is Visceral Fat Formed?

When a person already has sufficient glucose in the blood stream, then the excess glucose is stored as fat. If a person is more habituated to eating processed carbohydrates, processed starches and foods that have excess sugars then there are more chances of accumulating visceral fat. This leads to increase in the weight, hunger pangs, overeating and all this results in formation and storing of more fat.

Procedure To Measure Visceral Fat:

CT scan and MRI scan are two ways to measure the visceral fat. Doctors also make use of general guidelines to measure the visceral fat. Normal way to calculate visceral fat is to calculate the total body fat of the patient. Then 10% of this total body fat is said to be visceral fat. The waist size of the patient can also tell a lot about visceral fat. A woman with a waist size of 35 inches and a man with a waist size of more than 40 inches are at a risk of health issues due to visceral fat. In MRI scans and fat analyzers visceral fat is measured on a scale of 1 to 59. Ideally the measurement has to be less than 13.

Ways To Get Rid Of Visceral Fat

  1. Control The Intake Of Sugars and Refined Carbohydrates:

    Insulin is one of the most important hormones of our body. Diet controls the insulin levels in the body. Too much insulin in the body can breakdown the system of the body. There will be issues like insulin resistance. Too much refined carbohydrates and sugars will increase the insulin levels. The first thing that the patient needs to do in order to get rid of visceral fat is to maintain a balance of hormones like insulin by decreasing the intake of refined carbohydrates and sugars.

  2. Increase The Intake Of Natural Fat Burning Foods:

    Everyone must always have a healthy diet. Diet must be rich in non starchy vegetables, proteins and healthy fats. Refined foods must be eliminated from your diet in your efforts to get rid of visceral fat.

  3. Physical Activity:

    Along with a balanced diet the patient must also make sure that they exercise on a regular basis to get rid of visceral fat. Exercising regularly is the most effective way to shed visceral fat from your body. This will help in maintaining hormonal balance and a healthy body.

  4. Avoid Stress:

    Too much stress will lead to cortisol production which affects metabolism and appetite. This will lead to hunger pangs and changes in sleep pattern. This in turn will lead to hormonal imbalance. It is therefore important to avoid stress.

  5. Good Sleep Is Important:

    Getting a good sleep is very important if you want to maintain a healthy body and weight as it is known to boost metabolism which is important if you want to get rid of visceral fat. Make sure that you get at least 6 to 7 hours of sleep every day.

  6. The Diet In A Nutshell!

    Eat more of lean proteins, vegetables and complex carbohydrates. Ideally avoid fried foods if you want to get rid of visceral fat. Ideally you must use baking, broiling and boiling methods to cook your food. Always make use of healthy oils like olive oil. It is better if you avoid butter and peanut oil. Nuts and seeds that help in maintaining hormonal balance and weight control must also be included in the diet.

    No one must ever ignore visceral fat. It can result in medical conditions and complications which can be risky for a person’s life. In order to avoid these types of conditions one must have a healthy diet. Avoid sedentary lifestyle. One must exercise on a regular basis. Along with a healthy body one must also have a healthy and stress free mind.

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Team PainAssist
Team PainAssist
Written, Edited or Reviewed By: Team PainAssist, Pain Assist Inc. This article does not provide medical advice. See disclaimer
Last Modified On:July 10, 2018

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