The Dangers of Belly Fat

From puberty through middle-age males and females tend to carry body fat differently. Pre-menopausal women are more likely to store excess fat in the thighs, hips, and arms, while men and post-menopausal women tend to store it right around the middle. Excess fat is unwelcome, unsightly and a sign of either too many calories being consumed, not enough calories being burned, or both. But there is a difference between fat that accumulates in the hips and thighs and fat that finds its way around the mid-section.

The Difference Is . . .

The blubber that pads our behinds is subcutaneous fat and is found just under the skin, resulting in the dimply look often referred to as cellulite. However, fat that accumulates around the mid-section is visceral fat. It is much more metabolically active than subcutaneous fat and is responsible for a number of dangerous health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome and sleep apnea. Visceral fat also contributes to insulin resistance, an early precursor to diabetes.

The good news, however, is that visceral fat appears to be more responsive to exercise than subcutaneous fat. According to researchers from Duke University Medical Center, regular intense exercise can reverse the amount of visceral fat you have, while moderate exercise can stop additional visceral fat from mounting up. So the more exercise you do, the more of this type of dangerous fat you will lose and the more you will lower your risk of developing the severe health problems associated with it. If, on the other hand, you remain inactive, more likely than not you will pile on the weight at a rate of four pounds per year, say researchers.

Win the Battle of the Bulge

To combat belly fat, or any unwanted fat for that matter, you need to attack i

t in three ways. Cardio exercise, weight training and healthy eating. Cardio exercise should be done for 20 - 30 minutes 4 to 5 times per week at an intensity high enough to get your heart rate up for at least 20 minutes. Strength training is equally important because muscle mass determines metabolism, so the more muscle you have, the easier it is for your body to maintain a healthy weight and a healthy lean to fat ratio. Finally, you can't out train the kitchen table, so clean eating is a must to keep belly fat at bay along with all of the problems associated with it.