There are many different reasons why people gain belly fat. Some reasons include stress, lack of exercise, and poor diet. There are many lifestyle changes that can help you to lose unwanted body fat, such as reducing stress, increasing activity, and improving nutrition. Fat around the abdomen is known as belly fat. Two types of belly fat exist:
- Subcutaneous: This type of fat sits under the skin.
- Visceral: This type of fat surrounds the organs of the affected person.
There are many studies in which are shown that complications from visceral fat are more harmful compared to having subcutaneous fat. If you have belly fat, then you need to make many lifestyle changes and dietary changes, so you can lose the belly fat. You need to aim for slow and steady weight loss, so in this way, you will lose excess fat and keep it from coming back.
Reasons why belly fat is dangerous:
One of the leading causes of major disease is being overweight. When you have excess belly fat, then this can increase your risk of:
- Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia
- Colon cancer
- Breast cancer
- Asthma
- Type 2 diabetes
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- Heart attacks
- Heart disease
- Premature death from any cause
- Sleep apnea
- Insulin resistance
- Abnormal cholesterol
- Breathing problems
Causes for Belly Fat:
The most common causes for belly fat are next:
- Smoking: Many doctors may not consider smoking to be a direct cause of belly fat, but they do believe it can be a risk factor. In one study done in 2012 was shown that even though obesity was the same between smokers and nonsmokers, smokers had more belly fat and visceral fat compared to nonsmokers.
- Poor sleep: In one study was shown that weight gain is linked to short sleep duration, which could lead to an excess of belly fat. Both short duration of sleep and poor quality of sleep can play a part in the development of abdominal fat. If you are not getting enough sleep, then this could lead to unhealthy eating behaviors, such as emotional eating.
- Genetics: There are some studies in which is said that a person’s gene can play a part in whether or not he becomes obese. Doctors believe that genes can influence the risk of developing obesity-related diseases, metabolism, and behavior. Also, environmental factors and behavior play a role in the chances of people becoming obese.
- stress: Cortisol is a steroid hormone that helps the body to control and deal with stress. When a person is in high – pressure situation or is in a dangerous situation, then his or her body releases cortisol and this can impact his or her metabolism. Often, people reach for food for comfort when they feel stressed and the cortisol causes the excess calories to remain around the belly and other areas of the body for later use.
- Lack of exercise: If you consume more calories than you burn off, then you will increase your weight. The inactive lifestyle makes it hard for you to get rid of excess fat, particularly around the abdomen.
- Too much alcohol: When you consume too much alcohol, then this can cause a variety of health problems, including inflammation and liver disease. One study done in 2015 was shown that alcohol consumption, especially excessive drinking alcohol, can cause males to gain weight around their bellies, while studies in females are inconsistent.
- Poor diet: Sugary drinks, such as soda and fruit juice, and sugary food, such as cakes and candy can cause weight gain. Also, they can slow your metabolism and can reduce your ability to burn fat. Also, a high–carb diet and low–protein diet can affect your weight. Protein helps you to feel fuller for longer. People, who are not eating lean protein in their diets, may eat more food overall. Also, trans fat can cause inflammation and can lead to obesity.
You can find trans fats in many foods, such as fast foods and baked goods like crackers or muffins. It is recommended to replace trans fats with healthful whole-grain foods, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. Before you buy some food, you should read food labels, because this can help you to determine which foods have trans fats.
