Why Belly Fat Is The Most Dangerous Body Fat

No matter what you call it, spare tire, pot belly or beer keg, having excess fat in your abdominal area is not a good thing. As a matter of fact, it presents a very serious danger.

Belly fat is not like the fat on other parts of your body. It is far more serious. When you have excess belly fat it increases your risk for things such as:

· Sleep apnea

· Metabolic syndrome

· Diabetes

· Cardiovascular disease

· Breast cancer

The fat that rests between your skin and abdominal wall is known as subcutaneous fat. The next layer of fat, the fat that surrounds your internal organs is known as visceral fat. This type of fat is nothing to play with. It is biologically active and can produce an excess of hormones.

Researchers often describe it as an active organ in the body that creates hormones and inflammatory substances.

This type of fat turns into fatty acids that can get into the liver and muscle of the body, according to Lewis Kuller, MD, DPH.

This type of drainage causes various changes, such as, an increase in bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Along with this reaction, insulin stops being as effective in controlling blood sugars, which, results in insulin resistance. Insulin resistance often leads to Type 2 Diabetes and other conditions such as, heart disease.

Belly Fat In Men

One of the reasons men are more likely to have heart disease is because they tend to collect more belly fat than women, and, also earlier in life.

One study showed that too much of this type of fat in men is a risk for "all-cause mortality", which means death from any kind of cause.

Too much belly fat in men has also been linked to erectile dysfunction in men over age 60.

Belly Fat In Women

The hormonal imbalance caused by this type of fat, can also leads to breast cancer in women, where the risk is 1/3 higher than that in women without it.

It can also cause inflammation in the body. And if you know anything about inflammation you know it is the cause of a variety of different health conditions and diseases.

According to one Danish study, women are five times more likely to die from heart disease when they have lots of belly fat, large waists and high levels of fat in the blood stream.

What Causes Belly Fat?

Genetics

There are a lot of different factors that can cause someone to have an excess of belly fat. One such factor is genetics. If your parents have a lot of belly fat you are more likely to have belly fat as well. The sad truth is it can move down from generation to generation.

Hormones also play a huge role. For example, after a woman goes through menopause the hormonal changes that take place can cause fat to gather in the belly.

Poor Diet

The most common cause of belly fat is poor dietary habits and a lack of exercise. These days people live on a fast food diet and never take the time to go to the gym. This not only leads to belly fat but it can also lead to obesity. So now the question is how can you get rid of belly fat?

The first thing you need to do is get your diet in check. No more eating unhealthy fast food 5 nights a week. It's time to start cooking. You need to eat lots of fresh veggies, fruits and proteins. Things such as broccoli, spinach, carrots, oranges, pineapples, mango and chicken are all great for losing weight.

Exercise

But it's not just enough to get your diet right. You also need to start exercising. Exercising and eating right help keep your metabolism revved up. And the best part is you don't have to workout a long time to see the results.

All it takes is 30 minutes a day of intense exercise and you would be surprised how fast your body starts to change.

When you workout be sure to incorporate resistance training. The more muscle you build the more fat you will burn during a 24 hour period.

So, ladies don't be afraid to increase your muscle mass. It will go a long ways towards helping you shed those extra pounds.

Russell (Rusty) Hart is the founder of the Health, Fitness & Sport Club, an online network of websites devoted to the promotion of health, fitness and wellness. The sites encompass a wide variety of health and fitness activities including, pilates, yoga, crossfit, treadmill training, equestrian, running, kettlebell, swimming, and more. Also covered are Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Positive Thinking, the Law of Attraction and related topics. Those interested can visit the HF & S Club home site at [http://www.healthfitnessandsport.com] and [http://www.healthyhabitsmatter.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/J_Russell_Hart/278755

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The Real Dangers of Sugar

How healthy is our food nowadays?

As modern society continues to find ways to make food production cheaper and faster, the quality of our food also continues to decline.

There is a very real reason why there are now advocacies against processed food. It seems that food manufacturers have completely forgotten their ethical obligation to consumer health by ignoring warnings from the medical establishment about adding too much sugar and preservatives to food.

What's happening to processed food?

These past few years, consumer wellness organizations have monitored a steady climb in the amount of additives that manufacturers add to common food items and beverages like bread, soda and even yogurt.

That's why it's best to keep away from any food or beverage that lasts more than a week in the cupboard. Imagine what they put in food that can last for 2 years in storage!

How much sugar are we really consuming?

The amount of sugar present in our food nowadays is especially worrying because current medical studies have uncovered some very real dangers of regularly consuming table sugar.

Refined sugars and HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) can be found in pancake mixes, chocolate, candies, cured meats, potato snacks, cupcakes, marshmallows and almost any other food or beverage that you can think of.

A single serving of regular soda contains an average of 10 teaspoons of table sugar. If you think that isn't much, try consuming 10 teaspoons of sugar at home. Do you feel nauseated already? That's what soda companies have been using to flavor sodas for more than four decades now.

Some forty years ago, people thought that consuming table sugar only increased your likelihood of developing bad teeth and diabetes.

Newer studies have now linked sugar to numerous health conditions, including metabolic syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

As a natural health advocate advocate, I want to emphasize the importance of having the latest information on the food that we eat to help people make better food choices every day.

What are the real dangers of sugar?

Sugar is one of the deadliest additives in food today. Here's why:

Heart Threat - Sugar has been shown to affect the involuntary muscle activity of the heart. A molecule found in ordinary table sugar called G6P has a negative impact on the heart tissue at the cellular level.

Excess consumption of sugar and a sedentary lifestyle can increase a person's risk of developing heart failure. Heart failure often claims people's lives in less than a decade after diagnosis.

Belly Fat - There has been an alarming rise in obesity rates in teenagers and small children these past few decades. One of the major contributing factors to this trend is an increase in the consumption of fructose. Fructose is an inexpensive form of sugar used in soda, ice cream, cookies and even bread products.

Fructose appears to boost the growth of visceral fat or the fat found in our midsections. When a child develops mature visceral fat early in life, he/she has a higher risk of being obese in adulthood.

Deadly Appetite - Our bodies are naturally equipped with mechanisms that tell us when to stop eating. Studies show that sugar has found a way to suspend those natural mechanisms. Consuming foods and beverages rich in sugar contributes to the development of a condition called leptin resistance.

When a person has leptin resistance, they don't feel full and satisfied with moderate amounts of food, so they continue consuming excessive amounts of food every time they eat.

Our bodies also have a tough time detecting the presence of sugar in beverages. It's difficult for the body to send a signal that you already consumed a lot of calories from soda or juices because this substance just doesn't register the same way as other types of food.

Toxic to the Liver - Excessive consumption of table sugar and other variants like high fructose corn syrup can disturb normal liver function, which can then lead to liver disease. Medical researchers have discovered that fructose and other sugars make use of the same metabolic channels that ethanol uses, which makes it just as dangerous as alcohol.

For more tips and strategies on how to lose weight permanently and be healthy and happy, get your free copy of Lose Weight With Yoga at http://www.joseesmith.com/yogaweightloss

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Josee_Smith/1677631

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