Abdominal fat can also be referred to as belly fat or visceral fat. Typically, it refers to the excess weight that is carried around an individual’s middle body. Medical professionals often warn against abdominal fat because of the threats it poses to a person’s middle body — an area near the body’s organs.
For all the fuss about how abdominal fat affects appearance, the host of health issues that are likely to result from its existence is even scarier — talk of health conditions like high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes and heart disease, among others; love handles have more much more to ruin than just your swag if permitted to stay.
But in case you’re still in doubt as to the extent of the health risks posed by belly fat, here are some of the most prevalent ones you’re likely to face when you don’t work to lose love handles.
The Worst Type of Fat You Can Have in Your Body
It is imperative that everyone gets rid of their love handles because it is the worst type of fat anyone can keep in their body.
Why is that so, you may wonder. Well, let’s get into the details of that.
Usually, when the body stores fat in regions like the arms, thighs, buttocks, etc., the fat just sit there idle. But when the body holds fats in the visceral region (belly fat), there is always an enormous amount of biological activity going on. That is, love handles (belly fat) are “biologically active” fats.
In fact, according to a report from the Harvard Medical School, love handles were likened to an extra organ or gland around the stomach region because of their ability to produce hormones.
Yes, you read that correctly. The fat you store in your belly area can produce hormones.
But that’s not even all; the types of hormones produced by these fats have a negative impact — they can affect health, appetite and overall body metabolism. These two hormones are adiponectin and leptin.
A Friend of Diabetes
Let’s just say that abdominal fat and Type 2 diabetes walk hand-in-hand. The moment you start accumulating this wrong kind of fat in your belly area, you increase your risk for developing Type 2 diabetes. The biological explanation behind this is that excess fat interferes with blood sugar-regulating insulin.
And once there is a problem with the insulin regulation in the body, we both know what follows.
Lung Problems
Not only does abdominal fat birth excess biological activities in the belly region, but it also occupies more space in the middle region of the human body. As a result of this, there is a reduced space in the chest region for lung functions.
An Enemy of Everything Related To Your Heart
Abdominal fat also pumps out cytokines, a protein associated with the immune system as part of its many biological activities. Unfortunately, the release of this protein raises the risk of heart-related disease by promoting constant low-level inflammation and insulin resistance.
And in case you’ve forgotten or didn’t know before now, heart disease remains the number one killer of most Americans. To prevent yourself from being a part of the statistic, you should work to lose love handles today before it’s too late.
Increases Your Risk for Breast Cancer
Excess stomach fat can also increase your risk for breast cancer. This is because abdominal fat produces the hormone estrogen, which “feeds breast cancer cells.”
According to a study in the journal of the National Cancer Institute, pre-menopausal women with a large waist are more likely to develop breast cancer that is estrogen receptor (ER)-negative.
Higher Chances of Developing Dementia
To an extent, medical research has demonstrated a link between abdominal obesity and the risk of developing dementia. A study was carried out to prove the validity of this claim. The study involved 6,583 members of Kaiser Permanente of Northern California.
They were studied for an average of 36 years. After the end of the study, it was reported that those with the highest amount of abdominal body fat in midlife were almost three times more likely to develop dementia.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is important to keep in mind that you do not have to be obese or overweight before you face these dangers. The danger is imminent when an individual accumulates excess fat around the abdomen.
There are a number of ways to get rid of abdominal fat. But one effective and surefire way is by engaging in a weight loss program that involves wholesome diet and exercises such as love handle workout and exercises to lose belly fat.
