The Top 5 Dangers of a Pot Belly

Ok, we all know that it’s bad to be overweight, to have that pot belly hanging over our belts, but is it really that bad? It’s true that many of us carry our fat in whatever manner our parents carried theirs; it’s in your genes, which is something you can’t change. However, you can shrink or eliminate that belly fat because it’s a lot more dangerous than you think. Abdominal fat, also called visceral fat, plays a huge part in many health problems. Here is a list of the top 5 health dangers that are caused by that visceral fat storing itself in and around your internal organs. 1. High Cholesterol Deep abdominal fat can be made into free fatty acids by the body. This results in your body making LDL, that “bad” type of cholesterol you hear about so often. Obesity also tends to make your arteries deteriorate so along with the bad cholesterol, you are setting yourself up for a dangerous health problem along the lines of stroke, heart disease, heart attack, and high blood pressure. 2. Reduced Lung Capacity Researchers in Finland found that a large waist size was directly related to a reduced lung function and volume. Nonsmoking adults who had normal weights, compared to those who had excess abdominal fat, showed that those with excess belly fat performed poorly on breath measurements tests called spirometry. Reduced lung capacity can lead to chronic lung diseases such as asthma. 3. Alzheimer’s and Dementia You may think that your head has nothing to do with your belly but that’s not what science has found. In a study done in 2010 it was found that a high waist to hip ratio was linked to a lower brain volume. This has, in turn, been linked to dementia and can be a contributing factor in developing Alzheimer’s disease. 4. Degeneration of Your Arteries Researchers in a 2012 study found a correlation between stiffness in the arteries, arthrosclerosis, and those with abdominal fat. For all individuals, it appears that every 0.1 increase in your waist to height ratio, the arteries become harder. However, when talking about those who carried high amounts of abdominal fat, the hardening of the arteries was even more pronounced. Arterial degeneration often ends in stroke and heart disease. Read more about heart attack symptoms in women. 5. Production of Dangerous Hormones Visceral fat seems to make its own hormones called cytokines that increase the risk of heart disease. They also promote a resistance to insulin and a low level, chronic type of inflammation. There are some biochemicals produced by this deep level fat that have yet to be identified but seem to have very harmful effects on blood clotting, blood pressure, and your body’s sensitivity to insulin. Find out how to control your blood pressure. The good news is abdominal fat isn’t any more difficult to get rid of than other fat. A minimum of 30 minutes per day, and 60 minutes per day if possible, combined with a healthy diet filled with fresh fruits and vegetables will go a long way towards getting rid of dangerous abdominal fat. Sources: Health.harvard.edu

The Top 5 Dangers of a Pot Belly

2. Reduced Lung Capacity

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