Fat on the inside

“Middle aged spread” is something that many people complain about. In a study by a group of scientists in the US, Toth and his team found that menopausal women had a greater amounts of intra-abdominal fat compared to premenopausal women – they did this by using CT and MRI scans to see what was happening on the “inside” as opposed to the fat that we can “pinch”.

Intrabdominal fat is the fat that is distributed around your internal organs, usually held in the “omentum” – and can push your stomach out so that you look “fatter” even if weigh the same as you always did. It also accumulates on other organs, such as your intestines, liver, kidney etc. Poke your belly  - the soft squidgy fat on the top is the “subcutaneous fat” – one which lies beneath the skin, but the intra-abdominal fat forms a harder layer within the trunk.

But surely fat is fat? Yes, to a certain extent, and to lose the “belly fat” – whether it is on the deep inside or under skin remains the same . But, there is more at risk when we have a higher level of intra-abdominal fat. Visceral fat can produce a protein called “cytokines” which can be responsible for gut inflammation, and is a risk factor for heart disease - a bigger waistline can double your chances of heart disease according to recent studies, and is linked to increased chances of having breast or colon cancer, dementia and even asthma.

Losing body fat is often seen as something to do when you “go on holiday” or as some kind of “punishment” if you are told by your GP to lose weight. But, if you think about avoiding hospital, taking medication, and have a positive image for a happier and healthier way of being, one that makes you feel energetic and keeps you from aging too quickly, then changes to your current lifestyle can feel like a treat.

The volume of evidence for exercise means that you have no reason not to do some kind of aerobic activity for around 30 minutes every day and include some weight training, whether that be at the gym or at home. So how do you start?  Follow me for more information on diet and exercise that will be heading your way this week x