The two primary forms of fat found in the abdomen are. The kind of fat that is directly under your skin is called subcutaneous fat. Your body contains this fat all around, especially in your middle.
Visceral fat is the other form of fat in your abdominal region. Your body's deepest layers include this fat, which protects the organs in your abdomen by cushioning them. High levels of this fat have been associated in studies to illnesses including type 2 diabetes and heart disease (1Trusted Source).
Losing extra visceral fat can thus have a positive impact on your health.
By using a tape measure to measure the area around your waist, you may get an idea of how much abdominal fat you have. Abdominal obesity is defined as measurements of 40 inches (102 cm) or more for males and 35 inches (88 cm) or more for women (2).
It's a common misconception that some weight loss methods can reduce visceral or belly fat. Currently, neither diet nor exercise have been shown to effectively "spot decrease" fat in specific locations (3Trusted Source).
Your entire body usually experiences weight increase or reduction, however depending on the individual, certain parts of your body may change first. Your genes most certainly have an impact on your special pattern.
Overweight abdominal fat may result from a diet heavy in added sweets.
According to studies, adding sugar has particularly detrimental impacts on metabolic health (4Trusted Source).
Numerous studies have shown that too much sugar, mostly because of the high fructose content, can cause fat to accumulate around your liver and belly (5).
Half of sugar is fructose and half is glucose. The liver becomes overwhelmed with fructose when you consume a lot of added sugar and is compelled to convert it to fat (6Trusted Source, 7).
Some people think that this is the primary mechanism behind sugar's detrimental impacts on health. It raises liver and belly fat, which can cause insulin resistance and other metabolic issues (8Trusted Source).
You might want to restrict liquid sugar, in particular if you're attempting to cut calories. Drinking sugar-sweetened drinks causes you to consume more calories overall because the brain doesn't appear to register liquid calories in the same way as solid calories (9Trusted Source, 10Trusted Source).
The most crucial macronutrient for weight reduction may be protein.
According to research, it can help you consume up to 441 fewer calories per day and lower cravings by 60%. It can also increase metabolism by 80–100 calories per day (12Trusted Source, 13Trusted Source, 14Trusted Source, 15Trusted Source).
One of the best dietary modifications you can make if you want to lose weight is to include more protein.
Protein may assist you prevent gaining weight in addition to aiding in weight loss (16Trusted Source).
There is some evidence to support the idea that eating more protein may result in less belly fat. According to one study, participants who consumed more high-quality protein had less belly fat (17Trusted Source).
According to a study, eating more protein was associated with a slower increase in women's waist circumference over the course of five years (18Trusted Source).
This study also connected fruit and vegetables to lower fat and refined carbohydrates and oils to increased belly fat.
The majority of research showing that protein aids in weight reduction had participants consuming 25–30% of their calories as protein. So, you might want to give this range a go.
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