What Makes Visceral Fat So Dangerous?

by L.K. Regan

Anyone trying to lose weight knows it's all about burning off the unhealthy excess fat. But it turns out that not all fat is created equal—and not all people who need to lose fat even know about it. To get the low-down on which type of fat you need to lose—and what you need to eat to get there—we spoke to Manuel Villacorta, MS, RD, CSSD, one of the leading nutritionists in the San Francisco Bay Area, creator of the RealJock Healthy Weight-Loss Programs, and founder of the interactive weight-management web site Nutrition for You. Villacorta makes a clear distinction between two kinds of fat: subcutaneous fat, which is stored between skin and muscle; and visceral fat, which accumulates around organs, especially the liver. Visceral fat, which cannot even be accessed by liposuction, is significantly more dangerous than subcutaneous fat.

What makes visceral fat so dangerous? The visceral fat cells literally function differently than subcutaneous fat cells. "In comparison to visceral cells, subcutaneous cells are greater in number," Villacorta says. "But the visceral cells are actually larger in size per cell. And they get to be so big that they atrophy themselves—at which point they constantly, 24/7, produce cytokines." Cytokines are a hormone with known inflammatory properties. "They promote atherosclerosis, tumor growth, aging, oxidation, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease." That's quite a laundry list of bad things!

Because visceral fat is stored around the liver, it impacts liver function as well. "The liver processes fats," Villacorta explains, "and because these fats surround it, the liver has to keep processing them—and with them processing a lot of LDL, or bad cholesterol." That means more artherosclerosis—and hardened arteries. "If you have this fat you can consider yourself always in a low-level inflammatory state," Villacorta says. "It is a chronic condition—always happening, again and again."

So, how much fat is too much? After all, you need some degree of visceral fat to cushion your organs. But many of us have too much of it. Men are considered high risk if they have a waistline of 40 inches or greater, Villacorta says; women are in this category with a waistline of 35 inches. But once you hit that limit it's already too late—you're in a perpetually inflamed state. So Villacorta counsels taking preventive action sooner, at a waistline of 37 or 38 for men. "Ten pounds is two inches," Villacorta points out, "and people can gain 10 pounds without even noticing; people average a 15-pound gain over the holidays and take a year to lose it just to gain it back again—so if you're at 37 or 38, you're not high risk, but you are in range." If your waistline is bigger than 40 inches, you should consider taking action immediately.

Article Source: http://www.realjock.com/article/1165/

What Is Visceral Fat?

Visceral fat is not like regular body fat.  In fact, it is a different animal entirely.  Visceral fat, sometimes referred to as intra-abdominal fat, is the term commonly used to denote the fat build up surrounding our internal organs.  


Visceral fat is notoriously hard to lose, much more so than the fat you see in the mirror every morning, and when present in excess amounts, can lead to a variety of life threatening ailments including diabetes and heart disease.
 

So what can we do about it?  That is what I will try to address in this blog.  Hopefully with some hard work and a few great tips pointing us in the right direction, we will successfully increase our health and flatten our bellies.


-B.

Start Flattening Those Abs!

Have you ever wanted your abdominals to be flatter and firmer? While the fitness industry has changed over the years, some basic principles to increase weight loss, which helps to reveal your abs, remained fairly similar. Here are some simple ways to get you started on your journey of weight loss:

1. Start your day with a healthy breakfast. In fact, eating breakfast will help get your body's natural fat fighter started, i.e. your metabolism. Your body is an amazing machine. Once you get used to healthy habits, you may find you have more energy, and gain an overall sense of better health.


2. Walk more. It can be very simple to incorporate more activity into your daily life. If possible, try to park your car further away when you arrive at work, school, the mall, etc. Also, try to find someone you can start taking walks with. Believe me, you'll be amazed how a simple change like this can really improve your health. Moreover, walking can be very relaxing and soothing.


3. Choose foods that are fat fighting. Some foods can really help boost your metabolism. A simple method is to add a little spice to your meals. Some experts believe that eating foods that are spicy can actually help boost your metabolism. Another trick to fight against fat is to eat foods rich in fiber, which helps to move things out of your body.


4. Drink more water. Instead of going for a soda the next time you head to your refrigerator or go out to eat, choose water or tea. You may also notice that your body moves better. Just like a car needs oil to function properly, your body needs a good amount of water to run at its best.

Robert M. Weston
Fitness Expert

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Robert_M_Weston

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The Real Reason to Lose Excess Abdominal Fat

Below is an article contributed by Mike Geary, the founder of TruthAboutAbs.com, and author of Insider Secrets for a Lean Body.  I thought this was an important topic to share with you because the reality is that most people simply don't realize how dangerous their excess abdominal fat really is to their health. 


The Hidden Dangers of Your Excess Abdominal Fat - It's More Serious Than a Vanity Issue!
by Mike Geary, Certified Nutrition Specialist, Certified Personal Trainer

Did you know that the vast majority of people in this day and age have excess abdominal fat? The first thing that most people think of is that their extra abdominal fat is simply ugly, is covering up their abs from being visible, and makes them self conscious about showing off their body.

However, what most people don't realize is that excess abdominal fat in particular, is not only ugly, but is also a dangerous risk factor to your health. Scientific research has clearly demonstrated that although it is unhealthy in general to have excess body fat throughout your body, it is also particularly dangerous to have excess abdominal fat.

There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abs from being visible is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles.

The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs. Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time, also feels sort of hard if you push on it. 

Both subcutaneous fat and visceral fat in the abdominal area are serious health risk factors, but science has shown that having excessive visceral fat is even more dangerous than subcutaneous fat. Both of them greatly increase the risk your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, stroke, sleep apnea, various forms of cancer, and other degenerative diseases.

Part of the reason visceral fat is particularly dangerous is that it apparently releases more inflammatory molecules into your body on a consistent basis.

If you care about the quality of your life and your loved ones, reducing your abdominal fat should be one of your TOP priorities! There's just no way around it. Besides, a side-effect of finally getting rid of all of that excessive ugly abdominal fat is that your stomach will flatten out, and if you lose enough stomach fat, you will be able to visibly see those sexy six pack abs that everyone wants.

So what gets rid of extra abdominal fat? Is there actually a REAL solution beyond all of the gimmicks and hype that you see in ads and on commercials for "miracle" fat loss products?
The first thing you must understand is that there is absolutely NO quick fix solution. There are no pills or supplements of any sort that will help you lose your abdominal fat faster. Also, none of the gimmicky ab rockers, rollers, or ab belts will help get rid of abdominal fat either. You can't spot reduce your stomach fat by using any of these worthless contraptions. It simply doesn't work that way.

The ONLY solution to consistently lose your abdominal fat and keep it off for good is to combine a sound nutritious diet full of unprocessed natural foods with a properly designed strategic exercise program that stimulates the necessary hormonal and metabolic response within your body. Both your food intake as well as your training program are important if you are to get this right. 

I've actually even seen a particular study that divided thousands of participants into a diet-only group and an exercise/diet group. While both groups in this study made good progress, the diet-only group lost significantly LESS abdominal fat than the diet & exercise combined group.
Now the important thing to realize is that just any old exercise program will not necessarily do the trick. The majority of people that attempt getting into a good exercise routine are NOT working out effectively enough to really stimulate the loss of stubborn abdominal fat. I see this everyday at the gym.

Most people will do your typical boring ineffective cardio routines, throw in a little outdated body-part style weight training, and pump away with some crunches and side bends, and think that they are doing something useful for reducing their abdominal fat. Then they become frustrated after weeks or months of no results and wonder where they went wrong.
Well, the good news is that I've spent over a decade researching this topic, analyzing the science, and applying it "in the trenches" with myself as well as thousands of my clients from all over the world to see what works to really stimulate abdominal fat loss.

The entire solution... all of the nutritional strategies, as well as training sequences, exercise combinations, and more have all been compiled in my Truth About Six Pack Abs Program.
Keep in mind that the point of this whole program is NOT abdominal exercises (that is only a very small portion of it). The main point of this program is showing you the absolute most effective strategies for losing your stubborn abdominal fat, so you can get rid of that dangerous health risk, as well as get a flatter more defined midsection.

If you follow the guidelines, you WILL lose your belly fat that has been plaguing you for years. This is not guesswork... it is a proven system that works time and time again for all of my clients on every corner of the globe that actually apply the information I teach. If you apply it, the results will come. It's really that simple. 

The only reason most people fail in their fitness goals is that they have good intentions at first to adopt a new lifestyle, yet after a few weeks or months, they abandon their good intentions and slip right back into their old bad habits that gave them the excess body fat in the first place


I want to help you succeed in finally getting rid of that extra abdominal fat that is not only UGLY, but also DANGEROUS. 

Don't waste another day allowing that nasty abdominal fat to kill your confidence as well as contribute to your risk for MAJOR diseases.

Get the solution to rid yourself for life of this problem at...

http://www.truthaboutabs.com/
Train hard, eat right, and enjoy life!

Mike Geary
Certified Nutrition Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Author - The Truth about Six Pack Abs