Visceral fat, often known as belly fat, or excess fat around the abdomen, is dangerous for your health and wellbeing in addition to being a cosmetic issue.
Knowing how abdominal fat affects your body can encourage you to take proactive measures to lose it and enhance your general well-being. These 5 things can happen to you if you have belly fat:
1. Risk of chronic diseases is increased
2. Elevated cardiovascular risk
There is a substantial correlation between belly obesity and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. It encourages the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which increases the risk of atherosclerosis, hypertension, and heart attacks and strokes. Excess abdominal fat is frequently associated with unfavorable lipid profiles, which are marked by low levels of HDL cholesterol and high levels of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.
3. Affects metabolic health
Visceral fat causes insulin resistance and dyslipidemia by interfering with metabolic processes and upsetting hormonal balance. Particularly, insulin resistance is a defining feature of abdominal obesity and, if left unchecked, can result in high blood sugar levels and type 2 diabetes.
4. Impacts respiratory function
Carrying too much weight around the abdomen can cause breathing difficulties, including sleep apnea and respiratory insufficiency. Particularly when you’re sleeping, fat deposits around the chest and belly might impede lung expansion and cause shallow breathing, which can exacerbate respiratory problems.
5. Encourages immune dysfunction and inflammation
Pro-inflammatory cytokines and adipokines secreted by visceral fat cause a chronic low-grade inflammatory state in the body. Numerous medical illnesses, such as autoimmune diseases, arthritis, and neurological disorders, are associated with chronic inflammation. Furthermore, the buildup of fat around the abdomen can weaken the immune system, increasing a person’s susceptibility to infections and delaying the healing of wounds.
