Is This The Forgotten Health Crisis That Is Devastating America?
Could we be embracing it?
You’ve heard about the obesity epidemic, but have you heard of the abdominal obesity epidemic?
A 2014 article from the Huffington Post, written by Lindsey Tanner of the Associated Press laid out these numbers on abdominal obesity —
By 2011–12, the last year studied, 44 percent of men suffered from abdominal obesity, up from 37 percent. The trend was more pronounced among women: By 2011–12, about two-thirds of all women were affected, up from just over half in 1999–2000.
How is abdominal obesity different from good ol’ fashioned obesity?
To really understand the difference you have to first recognize there are two different kinds of body fat: subcutaneous fat, the top layer, and visceral fat, the deep layer.
You’re most familiar with subcutaneous fat — its the fat we can actually see. Its the fat that protrudes out from the stomach and hangs from our arms.
Visceral fat, on the other hand, is fat that lies deep beneath the surface, surrounding organs like the kidneys, liver, and pancreas. In excess, visceral fat elevates the production of inflammatory chemicals which leads to inflammation. It also screws with hormones that regulate appetite, weight, mood, and brain function.
Why is visceral fat so dangerous?
First and foremost, it increases our insulin-resistance. Insulin is used to control our blood sugar. When we eat carbs, they’re broken down into glucose which enters the bloodstream and raises our blood sugar levels.
Insulin is then released by the pancreas which directs the newly broken down glucose into the muscle and liver for storage as energy. Whatever can’t be stored for energy is stored as fat.
When our insulin-resistance is higher, the body stops responding to insulin as much as we need it to which leaves our blood sugar elevated, longer. As a result, the elevated blood sugar is stored as fat and thus fueling the beast that caused the problem in the first place: excess fat!
As you probably know, insulin resistance is a major characteristic of type II diabetes. With high levels of visceral fat, your chances of obtaining type II diabetes is substantially higher.
In addition to diabetes, excess visceral fat, also raises our risk for:
- Stroke
- Arthritis
- Heart Disease
- High Blood Pressure
- Cancer
- Obesity
Measuring, Reducing, and Preventing Visceral Fat
Measuring visceral fat requires expensive equipment like an InBody machine or even CT scan. Neither are practical for month-to-month tracking. An alternative measure is to use waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio as a guide to tracking abdominal obesity. Different organizations have different recommendations on which to use and also the criteria needed to qualify in the “abdominal obesity” range.
Consider the following in the reduction/prevention of visceral fat:
- Avoid, or limit, simple carbs like candies, white and wheat breads, and white rice — They are rapidly broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream and because they are often eaten in large amounts they quickly lead to a massive and rapid blood sugar spike which lends itself to weight and fat gain.
- Exercise regularly — This can’t be overstated. The research is out there and the logic is common sense. 2–3 moderate-to-high intensity cardio sessions combined with 1–3 days of moderate-intensity weight lifting is a balanced mix of exercise that will promote better health.
- Eat real, whole foods — We need to ensure we’re eating nutrient-dense foods that pack protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats. Dr. Axe recommends the following:
…coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, wild-caught fish, nuts and seeds that have beneficial effects on insulin balance, gut bacteria, hormones and weight management. Additionally, proteins are also important for beating hunger and reducing insulin spikes. Healthy proteins include wild fish, grass-fed beef, cage-free organic eggs and raw dairy.
Summary
People still think of belly fat as a side effect of bad health rather than the cause of it. Belly fat, more specifically visceral fat, an cause an array of inflammatory diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, and arthritis. Stroke, heart disease, and even cancer are linked to high levels of visceral fat, or abdominal obesity.
Yet so many have become comfortable with belly fat because of slogans like “every body is beautiful”, but what body acceptance won’t teach you is that beneath the surface, there are life threatening diseases being stirred up and unless you DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT, they’re going to rear their ugly head one day soon.
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About The Author: I’m Zach Newman. I’m an ACE Certified Personal Trainer. Conversation is insanely important to me. Its why I love creating things because creation sparks discussion and discussion is the best way to learn from each other. Whether its about fitness and health, what books to read, or what’s going on in the world today, my goal is to build the best community around conversations that better the lives of everyone involved.
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