Belly fat has been linked to a higher risk of dementia. It’s bad for your bones. Belly fat sabotages restful sleep. It increases your risk of heart problems, cancer and death.
There’s no denying it: Belly fat is bad. And with the New Year here, it’s time—for the sake of your health and happiness—to resolve to finally bidding that belly fat adieu! To help you get there, we’ve got a couple key belly fat facts (and solutions!).
Who says men and women will ever be equal in everything? Unfortunately, if in nothing else, the unfair natural advantage with belly fat will probably always go to men. Giving us girls a little hope, however, researchers in a study published last year used mice to show that diets high in fat activate an enzyme that result in an increase in visceral (deep) fat in the abdomen. Notably, these enzymes are higher in women than men, hence the trend for women to gain more belly fat. Here’s the good part: When researchers altered mouse genetics and removed the enzyme, female mice stayed slim despite the high-fat diet.
While we wait for modern medicine to conduct clinical trials in humans, there may not be a whole lot you can do when it comes to diet and exercise if it’s your genes that are dictating the amount of belly fat you amass. Should you just blame your parents and keep eating that high fat diet? No way! Regardless of the effectiveness that a healthy diet and regular exercise might have on physical changes, it’s always a good idea to minimize the excess and get moving. For any stubborn belly fat that you can’t seem to lose on your own, liposuction may be just what the doctor orders!
The cold, hard truth, according to research presented last year at the European Society of Cardiology Congress. Speaker Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., was notably quoted for saying that if you have a big belly but a normal body mass index (BMI), you are at a higher risk than anyone else to die from a heart attack or stroke. Why? It has to do with the imbalance of visceral fat in the abdominal area with the rest of the body. Turns out if you’re going to be fat, it’s better to have it spread out everywhere, not concentrated right around the middle.
It’s the best advice we should all take: Commit to eating a balance diet, primarily made up of non-processed, real, fresh food; cut out the eating out; and spend more time being active. Not only will you find that you look better (less fat, glowing skin!), but you’ll also feel better.
Once you’ve taken the steps and committed to the lifestyle, any leftover unwanted pockets of excess fat and tissue are easily addressed in the hands of an experienced liposuction doctor. When you’re ready to take that final step, we’ll be here to help guide you.