A Reminder that Excess Visceral Fat is Harmful

This popular science article takes a high level look at the vast array of research data showing that excess visceral fat causes great harm to long term health. One of the more important mediating mechanisms is an increase in chronic inflammation, a state of dysfunction in the operation of the immune system that disrupts organ function and tissue maintenance, and accelerates the development of all of the common age-related diseases. There are numerous other connections between the pace of aging and the activities of visceral fat tissue, however. Becoming overweight is the path to a shorter life expectancy, greater incidence of age-related disease, and higher lifetime medical expenditures. In general, if your waist measures 35 or more inches for women or 40 or more inches for men, chances are you're harboring a potentially dangerous amount of abdominal fat. Subcutaneous fat that lurks beneath the skin may be cosmetically challenging, but it is otherwise harmless. However, the deeper belly fat - the visceral fat that accumulates around abdominal organs - is metabolically active and has been strongly linked to a host of serious disease risks, including heart disease, cancer, and dementia. Weight loss through a wholesome diet and exercise - activities like walking and strength-training - is the only surefire way to get rid of it. Unlike the cells in subcutaneous fat, visceral fat is essentially an endocrine organ that secretes hormones and a host of other chemicals...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs