What Are the Health Risks of Belly Fat?

There are two types of abdominal fat:

1. Subcutaneous: This type of fat sits under the skin and poses no particular threat to your health.
2. Visceral: This type of fat surrounds your internal organs and can negatively affect the way your body works.

There are many reasons why people gain abdominal fat, including:

• Poor nutrition
• Lack of physical activity 
• Stress

Lifestyle changes such as dietary modifications and regular exercise can help you manage the problem.

The only precise way to measure visceral abdominal fat is through imaging tests, such as computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging scans. 

However, you can get a general idea of how much abdominal fat you have by measuring your waist circumference:

• Wrap a tape measure around your body above your hip bone
• Make sure the tape measure is not too tight
• Breathe out and check the measurement

Healthy measurements are as follows, although this may vary with age and ethnicity:

• Less than 35 inches for a woman 
• Less than 40 inches for a man

1. Eat a health diet: Avoid sugar, fatty foods, and refined carbohydrates that have low nutritional content. Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates.
2. Reduce alcohol intake: Alcoholic beverages contain extra sugar, which can cause weight gain. 
3. Exercise daily: Both aerobic exercise and strength training can help reduce excess belly fat.
4. Reduce stress: When you are stressed, your body releases hormones that can affect your appetite and cause you to eat more. Practice relaxation techniques such as yoga or meditation to manage your stress levels.
5. Get more sleep: Sleep allows your body to rest and recover. Not getting enough sleep can affect your body’s ability to shed extra pounds. 
6. Quit smoking: Quitting smoking greatly reduces the risk of developing excess abdominal fat and improves overall health.