How to reduce belly fat

An expanding waistline does more than make it hard to button up your jeans. Research shows that belly fat also carries serious health risks. The good news is that these threats can be reduced as you reduce your belly fat. However, it's not easy to reduce belly fat because it's different from other kinds of fat. Additionally, if you have to lose your belly fat, spot reduction is not possible. This means you have to reduce your overall fat percentage to reduce your belly fat. The best way to get rid of belly fat is to adopt a balanced approach—a combination of a nutritious, well-balanced diet, an active lifestyle, increasing stamina, and managing stress levels. Let's start by understanding what fat is in our body and how it affects our abdominal region. Types of Fat: Fats are of two types: white adipose tissue  and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Both of these fats have different purposes. Both of these fats behave differently in our bodies. Both of these fats are needed for the proper functioning of our physiological processes. Let's take a look at what they are and how they behave: White Adipose Tissue  Most people, when they hear 'fat,' associate it with white adipose tissue. The cells store energy from the food you consume. So when you consume excess calories, these cells get bigger, causing weight gain. Brown Adipose Tissue (BAT) Brown adipose tissue does not store energy but burns it. When you get a cold, the BAT cells activate and burn calories to warm you up, thus maintaining a healthy body temperature. This type of BAT is mostly found around major blood vessels and organs. Location of fat on your body and its impact on weight loss The common fatty areas, such as your thighs and abdomen, usually contain a combination of white adipose tissue and brown adipose tissue (BAT). Although both types of fat are essential for health, too much or too little can cause an imbalance in your hormones and body functions. Belly fat falls into two distinct categories: Subcutaneous Fat Visceral  fat The location of and BAT determines how difficult it is to get rid of them. Visceral Fat: Visceral abdominal fat is located deep inside your abdomen. Visceral fat cushions organs and blood vessels and is present around all the major organs in the abdomen, like the liver, heart, lungs, and stomach. A small amount of this fat is required for your overall health. Excess visceral fat is linked to serious health risks, including lipid metabolism and glucose impairment, leading to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, hypertension, the elevation of lipid levels, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and some cancers. Your belly is likely to be hard and not squishy if you have excess visceral fat. That said, this fat is usually the first to disappear when you begin to follow a healthy diet and exercise plan. Subcutaneous Fat: This type of belly fat accumulates below the skin. This fat can be felt by pinching your stomach, arms, and legs. It is all over the body, but more generously around the hips, waist, and thighs. It cushions your bones and muscles and also serves as an energy reserve for your body. Subcutaneous fat is visible to the eye, but it takes more effort to lose because of the function it serves in your body. The subcutaneous fat present in healthy amounts can actually help protect you from overeating and Type 2 diabetes. When excess visceral fat is burned, the body then begins to burn excess subcutaneous fat. Unfortunately, if the subcutaneous fat is in excess, the level of in your body increases. Moreover, overweight or obese people experiencing hormonal changes and having high levels are at an increased risk of developing chronic health issues. How much belly fat is too much? If your waist measures 40 inches or more as a man or 35 inches or more as a woman, then you are more likely to have a dangerous amount of belly fat. Health Risks Associated with Excess Belly Fat Medical Pills Heart Disease High levels of belly fat make people more vulnerable to cardiovascular diseases. Visceral fat is known to pump cytokines into the body. The cytokines released are linked to heart disease. Cytokines are dangerous chemicals that affect the cells' ability to regulate blood pressure and insulin. When organ functions are not regulated, the heart takes a hit. High blood pressure Scientists believe that visceral fat puts pressure on the kidneys and liver, increasing the production of bad cholesterol. This cholesterol moves into the arteries of the heart, where it forms a thick, waxy plaque. As the plaque lining the walls of the heart and arteries grows hard and thick, it forces the heart to pump harder to move the blood throughout the body. The result is high blood pressure. Type 2 diabetes When compared to hip fat or thigh fat, belly fat is known to put people at a higher risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes. This is because visceral fat is responsible for insulin resistance. When foods with high levels of sugar are consumed, the sugar level and insulin in the bloodstream increase. This forces the body cells to take in the sugars and insulin to produce energy. But over time, the body cells get used to this high sugar level and stop responding to it, resulting in a rise in blood sugar and insulin resistance. Dementia and Alzheimer's Studies have revealed that high amounts of visceral fat can cause the brain to shrink, increasing the risk for dementia and Alzheimer's as people age. Studies show that people with a greater level of abdominal obesity are up to three times more likely to develop mental conditions such as dementia when compared to people with less abdominal fat. Having a large abdomen equates to less brain volume. This means that as you age, the functioning of the brain decreases. The culprit here could be the hormone leptin released by the fat cells. Leptin adversely affects brain cells, memory learning, and appetite regulation. Cancer Excess fat cells signal your body to produce hormones that are known to trigger cancerous activity within healthy cells. They cause healthy cells to divide and multiply. The more the cells divide, the more chances there are for them to mutate into cancer cells. So more fat equals more chances for you to develop cancer of the colon, kidney, breast, gall bladder, and pancreas. Depression Visceral fat is known as an active pathogenic fat because it impacts our body negatively. Research has found evidence that suggests a strong connection between visceral fat levels and depression or depression-like symptoms. Studies have revealed that belly fat reduces healthy neurotransmitter functioning. It also causes hormonal changes, and this imbalance can cause high levels of mood swings. If these mood swings are not treated, they can eventually lead to depression. Sleep Disorders A belly with large deposits of fat triggers loud snoring and sleep apnea. A person suffering from sleep apnea stops breathing for a few moments several times at night. The result is a night full of snoring, waking up, and feeling restless. Arthritis is a very common disease experienced by people with excess abdominal fat. Fat is chemically active and constantly releases inflammation-causing proteins such as cytokines. These proteins travel through your body, making it inflamed everywhere, including your joints. As a result, you are more likely to develop osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Other than creating inflammation, the excess fat puts extra stress on your joints.