Why is Stomach Fat So Potentially Dangerous?

Stomach fat seems to be everywhere. Just a quick walk down any street and I can be seen often to real excess. In the US and in the UK we seem to be particularly prone to carrying excess weight on our stomachs. But in many ways this is almost like a ticking bomb; there are huge implications in terms of stomach fat.

Different Types of Fat

There are two different types of fat to be found on the stomach:, namely subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. The subcutaneous fat is the fat that sits just beneath the surface and you can pinch it; it is flabby as opposed to hard.

The other is called toxic or visceral fat. This is the kind of beer belly look that is in fact a very hard mound of fat and it is seriously bad news in terms of your health. So if you are concerned about the fat on your stomach, start to get rid of it today!

Why The 'Belly' Grows Bigger

Belly fat increases because the body views the belly or stomach as being the perfect place to store fat cells for future use. But the problem is that if you eat more calories than you get rid of through exercise or activity, then the fat cells grow bigger (hence the development of a bigger belly). Then it gets worse; the cells breed and multiply because they split up, creating new and additional fat cells to help bear the load (of fat) that is being stored. So your stomach gets even bigger even if your eating habits are getting more sensible.

Health Implications Of Stomach Fat

Stomach fat is often called toxic fat because those little fat cells are always busy, continuously releasing toxic fatty acids into your bloodstream. This makes it really difficult for your body to process insulin and if you cannot process insulin, you are at increased risk of developing diabetes.

The risk of dementia increases with the more stomach fat you have. you will also find that if you have high levels of stomach fat early on in life, your risk of developing dementia increases substantially.

The fat cells in visceral fat are also linked to the production of substances which cause inflammation and which disrupt the flow of blood to the heart. Some experts liken this to the heart being strangled by the toxic fat, because the heart is effectively deprived of blood. This is a major factor in heart disease.

You will also find that you get high cholesterol readings when you have high levels of visceral fat. This does not help with regard to heart disease.

Stomach fat also secretes the hormone cortisol. This is usually secreted when we are stressed, so the body thinks it is stressed and we end up feeling stressed and can develop high blood pressure, all because of fat on our stomachs!

Excess stomach fat is also linked to many different types of cancer; so it really is far from being good news.

So if you are carrying some excess stomach fat, then make sure you take steps to get rid of it because otherwise you may well pay a heavy price for it in terms of your health!

Libbie Johnson is a freelance ghostwriter, who has recently published an ebook 'Life After A Loved One Has A Heart Attack' a survival guide for anyone living with a person who has had a heart attack. Passionate about health and heart issues, please check out Libbie's e-book and other information at ' http://www.afteraheartattack.co.uk