(BlackDoctor.org) -- Are you one of the many people who think they can get rid of that “belly” by strengthening their abdominal muscles? Think again. You can do sit-ups ‘til the cows come home, but nothing short of actual weight loss will do the trick.
The Two Types of Belly Fat
There are two types of fat that you have in your abdominal area. The first type that covers up your abdominal area is called subcutaneous fat and lies directly beneath the skin and on top of the abdominal muscles. The second type of fat that you have in your abdominal area is called visceral fat, and that lies deeper in the abdomen beneath your muscle and surrounding your organs.
Visceral fat also plays a role in giving certain men that "beer belly" appearance, where their abdomen protrudes excessively but at the same time also feels sort of hard if you push on it. The average American has about 30 billion fat cells and each of them is filled with greasy substances called lipids. When you pump doughnuts, potato chips, and candy bars into your system, those fat cells can expand-up to 1,000 times their original size. But a fat cell can get only so big. Once the fat cell reaches its physical limit, it starts to behave like a long-running sitcom. It creates spin-offs, leaving you with two or more fat cells for the price of one. Only problem: fat cells have a no-return policy. Once you have a fat cell, you're stuck with it. They never go away. So as you grow larger and double the number of fat cells in your body, you also double the difficulty you'll have losing the lipids inside them.
Many of us tend to store fat in our bellies, and that's where the health dangers of excess weight begin. Abdominal fat doesn't just sit there and do nothing—it’s active. It functions like a separate organ, releasing substances that can be harmful to your body. For instance, it releases free fatty acids that impair your ability to break down the hormone insulin (too much insulin in your system can lead to diabetes).
Fat also secretes substances that increase your risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as the stress hormone cortisol (high levels of cortisol are also associated with diabetes and obesity as well as with high blood pressure). Abdominal fat bears the blame for many health problems because it resides within striking distance of your heart, liver, and other organs—pressing on them, feeding them poisons, and messing with their daily function.
Now, we all know the obvious: proper diet, adequate exercise, plenty of water, and sufficient sleep. In fact, so far, physical activity and weight loss appear to be the key. Several new studies indicate that regular exercise, such as brisk walking for 30 to 45 minutes a day, can significantly decrease such fat.
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