Bonnie - this was one of the best articles I have read on the subject. It was written by the editors of Men's Health Magazine and appeared in USA Today Weekend Edition. Here are some of the highlights:
- Subcutaneous fat is the kind that gives you "saddle bags" on the hips and "granny arms" around your biceps and triceps. This lies just under the skin and on top of the muscle and is not an immediate risk.
- Visceral fat, or central obesity, gives you a "spare tire" or "beer gut." This fat sourrounds your vital organs and is bad, especially for men.
- A recent study from the Queen's University in Ontario showed that body weight alone no longer tells you how big your health risk is. You need to look where you carry your fat: the more that settles in your midsection, the worse.
- Visceral fat markedly increases your risk for hypertension, diabetes and heart disease. Why? It surrounds and inhibits the function of the most important organs in your body, especially the liver. As fat increases and insinuates itself into the tissue, it slows down the liver's response to insulin, a hormone that tells the body to move fuel into cells. As a result, your pancreas must produce more insulin to get the liver to respond. This is called insulin resistance, which leads to high blood pressure, rising triglycerides and cholesterol, and then metabolic syndrome (obesity and type 2 diabetes).
- Even moderate weight loss of 5% to 10% of your total weight can dramatically reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, because the first fat lost is from the abdomen.
Small changes to lose abdominal fat:
- Up your fiber intake so your body requires less insulin.
- Consume monounsaturated fats like olive oil and avocados to help with insulin resistance.
- Avoid anything made with sugar or foods with high sugar content which would spike your blood sugar.
- Exercise because it burns energy!
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