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Abdominal obesity is the most dangerous type of obesity. It is also called visceral, central, or apple obesity. Abdominal obesity is dangerous to health because the internal organs in the abdominal cavity are also fat. Read about the dangers of abdominal obesity, what can cause it and how you can prevent it.
What is obesity?
Obesity is a chronic disease characterized by excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. Obesity has traditionally been defined as fat gain that exceeds 20% of ideal body weight for men or 30% of ideal body weight for women. Fat build-up in obese individuals can manifest as either a build-up of subcutaneous fat under the skin or an excess of visceral fat, known as abdominal obesity, in which the abdomen is excessively protruding.
There are several methods for measuring body fat and defining obesity. The most commonly used is the body mass index (BMI). BMI is a measure of body fat based on height and weight that applies to adult men and women. The formula is BMI = kg / m2, where kg is a person’s weight in kilograms and m2 is height in meters squared.
Obesity is a medical condition characterized by abnormal fat accumulation which is detrimental to your health. Excessive consumption of high-energy foods, physical inactivity and genetic susceptibility are known contributing factors to obesity. Being overweight is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality and is increasing exponentially worldwide. Today, more than half a billion adults are considered obese. Worryingly, the obesity epidemic is growing faster in developing countries.
- Surgical methods of fighting obesity
While overall obesity poses a significant health risk, the distribution of adipose tissue also plays a role in determining this risk. Abdominal obesity has been recognized as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and a better predictor of cardiovascular risk than general obesity.
Abdominal obesity is a component of the metabolic syndrome and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and some cancers by stimulating mediators such as insulin resistance, dyslipidemia and systematic inflammation, even in healthy weight individuals. This risk increases as abdominal fat increases.
See: Are you on a diet, exercising and not losing weight? You may have insulin resistance
Abdominal obesity – characteristics
Abdominal obesity is an excessive accumulation of fat in the abdominal area, especially due to excess visceral fat. Since visceral fat is supplied by the portal blood system, excess fat in this area can lead to the release of fatty deposits into the bloodstream. The accumulation of fat in the blood is responsible for most of the negative health consequences of obesity, including:
- type 2 diabetes,
- glucose intolerance,
- high blood pressure,
- endometrial shelf,
- atherosclerosis,
- insulin resistance,
- altered metabolic profile,
- metabolic syndrome,
- cardiovascular disease,
- obesity-related lipid disorders.
Abdominal obesity is very common in the elderly as fatty tissue is often redistributed around the abdomen during the aging process.
Premenopausal women have an average of half the belly fat of men, this is largely due to body shape. While women generally have higher total and percentage body fat, it is more often found on the hips and thighs due to their pear-shaped bodies. Men are naturally apple-shaped and overweight in the belly area.
See: An ingredient in tomatoes can protect against atherosclerosis
Abdominal obesity – causes
Abdominal obesity is caused by several factors, including poor diet, lack of exercise, environmental factors, and genetics.
Incorrect eating habits are the most common cause of abdominal obesity. While it’s easy to blame one particular food group or nutrient, such as sugar or carbohydrates, for weight gain, in fact, the main culprit is the calories consumed during the week – excess of them, to be exact! No matter what you eat, it can be difficult to find a balance in movement and proper nutrition (depending on the amount of exercise you are in).
In addition, a sedentary lifestyle requires fewer calories. Because the human body likes to save energy. Our body slows down when energy is not needed, such as when you spend more time sitting.
It’s also easy to blame a slow metabolism for weight gain. While this may be true for some, it is not for others. There are simple ways to speed up your metabolism if your goal is fat loss.
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You can have a fast, slow, or moderate metabolism – it depends a lot on genetics. If you have a slow metabolism, it can be frustrating when you’re trying to lose weight and the kilos don’t drop off as easily as it has been in the past.
Age also affects metabolism. As we age, our metabolism slows down. Many people become less active, which causes a loss of lean body mass (muscle). Muscles are metabolically active and require calories to maintain them.
- The red wine component improves metabolism in obese people
The truth is, your metabolism is only a small part of what causes weight gain. Understanding your own metabolism and how to stimulate it will help you prevent abdominal fat from building up.
Some of us are genetically prone to belly fat while others may store it all over our body.
Menopause has also been found to be associated with weight gain and increased abdominal fat distribution. Scientists also reported that changes in body weight are due to chronological aging, while changes in body composition and fat distribution are due to aging of the ovaries.
People often limit their food intake in an effort to lose weight. If you have been on a low calorie diet for too long, your body will sense a lack of food and therefore will store more fat. This is the very opposite of what calorie restriction people often have in mind.
There is also something called “familial predisposition,” which means that the likelihood of a child becoming obese can be assumed based on the weight of family members. Hormonal fluctuations and changes are also associated with the accumulation of fat in the abdomen.
Low levels of growth hormone due to hyperinsulinemia and high markers of cardiovascular risk may increase visceral fat accumulation due to decreased sensitivity to lipolysis in this area.
It was also believed that as the levels of body fat and leptin increase, the amount of leptin absorbed across the blood-brain barrier decreased, reducing body weight-regulating signals. However, in 25 years of research on leptin and obesity, it is still not fully understood how they relate to each other.
Physical and mental stress can play a major role in abdominal obesity. When you experience stress, your body releases cortisol, the stress hormone that causes fat to build up. Research suggests that high levels of cortisol direct body fat to the abdominal area and increase appetite, preferring high-energy foods.
- You are not eating, but you are gaining weight – it can be a serious Cushing’s disease
Other studies show similar data that sustained high cortisol levels over a long period of time are “strongly associated” with abdominal obesity. This relationship also works in the opposite direction as more belly fat usually leads to increased cortisol levels, triggering a sequence of weight changes.
Certain mental health conditions are also linked to weight gain. For example, studies have found a 60% obesity rate in people with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Weight gain can result from both the mental illness itself and the medications used to treat it.
Diabetes medications, insulin and sulfonylureas, antihypertensive medications, beta blockers, corticosteroids, and medications for mood disorders, depression and other psychiatric disorders are associated with abdominal weight gain.
There is an Obesity Test Package available on Medonet Market to determine where our obesity comes from.
In case of doubt, it is also better to check your genetic predisposition by performing genetic tests of metabolism and obesity genes or by doing a test package Full nutrigenetic profile – determination of metabolic predispositions. The results let you know if you are getting the right amount of nutrients.
Why is abdominal obesity so dangerous?
Abdominal obesity is the worst type of obesity because it leads to disturbances and slows down the processes of metabolism and lipid metabolism. It also leads to the development of diabetes, hypertension and significantly increases the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attack or stroke. Abdominal obesity, i.e. fatty tissue located in the waist and increasing its circumference, puts a burden on the spine, which results in lumbar pains and posture defects.
Moreover, abdominal obesity is very difficult to get rid of – belly fat tends to stay there despite weight loss diets and exercise. Therefore, it is much better to prevent abdominal obesity than to fight it.
In the case of abdominal obesity, fat accumulates not only under the skin, but also on organs such as the heart, liver, pancreas and skeletal muscles – this is called visceral fat. Fat tissue in these places disrupts the work of internal organs, and is also the cause of hormonal imbalances. High levels of free fatty acids increase insulin secretion, which leads to the development of type 2 diabetes.
The excess fat in abdominal obesity also causes the excessive production of inflammatory substances and enzymes, which leads to inflammation, an increase in LDL cholesterol and promotes the appearance of hypertension. High cholesterol, elevated insulin levels and disturbed work of the endocrine organs and the heart are a simple path not only to the development of diabetes, stroke or heart attack, but also, for example, to damage to the retina of the eye (atherosclerotic changes in the arteries can also lead to visual impairment). Fat accumulated in the internal organs and around the waist also increases blood clotting, which poses a risk of life-threatening blood clots.
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How to prevent abdominal obesity?
The easiest way to prevent abdominal obesity is to change your eating habits. You should eat more vegetables and fruits, give up highly processed foods and stimulants, and move more outdoors. If hormonal disorders are the cause of abdominal obesity, it is worth consulting an endocrinologist.