Visceral fat, also known as abdominal fat, is the fat that surrounds internal organs in the abdomen. While it is normal and necessary for the body to store some fat for energy and insulation, excess visceral fat can harm health.
One of the reasons for this is that visceral fat can cause inflammation in the body. Chronic inflammation has been linked to various health problems, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
Visceral fat is metabolically active, producing hormones and other signaling molecules that can affect the body’s inflammatory response.
For example, when there is an excess of visceral fat, it can lead to an overproduction of cytokines, which can trigger inflammation. This can result in chronic low-grade inflammation, where the body is in a constant state of alertness, even in the absence of a threat.
In addition, visceral fat can also lead to insulin resistance, a condition where the body’s cells become less responsive to insulin. Insulin resistance can lead to increased inflammation by causing the release of more cytokines and other inflammatory molecules.
A review published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation (JCI) states that inflammatory molecules can disrupt the normal function of fat cells, leading to increased fat storage. In addition, inflammation can also promote the accumulation of visceral fat.
The most insidious thing about visceral fat is that you can have a lot of it, but it’s not apparent. As a result, some people may appear thin on the outside but have excess fat inside—in other words, thin outside, fat inside (TOFI)—and would suffer from the same health problems as overweight people.
This accumulation of visceral fat can increase the risk of developing certain diseases.
Excess visceral fat has been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This is because chronic low-grade inflammation can damage the blood vessels and lead to the development of atherosclerosis. In this condition, plaque builds up in the arteries, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Visceral fat can also affect other risk factors for CVD, such as causing insulin resistance.
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology followed almost 1,000 participants for a median of 9.1 years and found that visceral fat was a better predictor of CVD risk than overall body fat or body mass index (BMI).
Another study in Frontiers in Neurology found that while visceral fat forms the fundamental basis of central obesity, visceral adipose tissue had a significant causal association with ischemic stroke, as the odds ratio per 1 kilogram increase in visceral fat mass was 1.30. In addition, visceral fat was also found to be a significant causal effect for cardioembolic stroke.
Since visceral fat can lead to insulin resistance, it is also a key factor in developing Type 2 diabetes.
A study published in the journal Nutrients analyzed the data of almost 6,000 adults and found that visceral fat was a stronger predictor of diabetes risk than BMI or waist circumference.
According to a systematic review of 10 longitudinal studies published in the International Journal of Clinical Practice, abdominal obesity, also known as visceral obesity, significantly raises the risk of Type 2 diabetes. Overall, people with abdominal obesity have a 114 percent higher risk of developing Type 2 diabetes than those who are not viscerally obese.
Chronic inflammation has also been linked to an increased risk of certain colon, breast, and prostate cancers. While the exact mechanism is not fully understood, it is thought that chronic inflammation can damage DNA and increase the risk of mutations that can lead to cancer.
Inflammatory molecules produced by visceral fat can damage cells and lead to mutations that can lead to cancer. Therefore, chronic inflammation has been associated with cancer development.
According to a review published in Nature Communications, visceral obesity is a significant risk factor for many types of cancer, including pancreatic, colorectum, breast, kidney, and prostate. In addition to chronic inflammation, an excessive amount of visceral fat can also lead to metabolic dysfunction, which in turn can affect cancer progression.
A study published in the journal Translational Cancer Research examined 234 South Korean breast cancer patients and 211 women without breast cancer and discovered that visceral obesity increased breast cancer risk in postmenopausal women by 150 percent.
After examining over 120 participants, another study published in the journal Obesity Research discovered that participants with higher visceral fat had a 360 percent higher risk of developing prostate cancer than participants with relatively low abdominal fat.
Excess visceral fat can contribute to chronic low-grade inflammation, increasing the risk of various health problems, including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
The most effective ways to reduce visceral fat are diet, exercise, and lifestyle changes.
A diet rich in whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and lean protein, and low in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fat, can help reduce visceral fat.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity found that a diet rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables was associated with lower visceral fat levels. In contrast, the intakes of fried foods, alcohol, red meat, sugary beverages, and refined grains are linked to higher levels of visceral fat and/or waist circumference.
A comprehensive two-year longitudinal study involving over 624 healthy participants published in the journal Nutrients discovered that the intakes of seven nutrients, including soluble dietary fiber, manganese, potassium, magnesium, vitamin K, folic acid, and pantothenic acid, can significantly decrease visceral fat, independent of BMI and waist circumference. Therefore, a plant-based diet may reduce visceral fat.
A study published in the journal Current Obesity Reports found that a Mediterranean diet can significantly reduce visceral fat. The Mediterranean diet is distinguished by a considerable consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts and seeds, cereals, and extra virgin olive oil, as well as some consumption of dairy products, fish, and poultry.
A study published in the international journal Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice also found that a low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diet may be effective in reducing visceral fat. In the study, 22 obese subjects with Type 2 diabetes were randomly assigned to two groups: one with a low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diet, and another with a low-calorie and high-carbohydrate diet. After four weeks, compared to the high-carbohydrate diet group, the low-carbohydrate diet group achieved a more significant decrease in visceral fat and in the ratio of visceral fat area to subcutaneous fat area. Specifically, the low carbohydrate group reduced 40 centimeters squared of visceral fat, whereas the high carbohydrate group only lost 10 centimeters squared.
These studies suggest that diet plays a significant role in visceral fat accumulation and that consuming a healthy, whole-foods-based diet, high in protein and low in carbohydrates, can help reduce visceral fat levels.
Exercise, including aerobic exercise and strength training, is also an effective way to reduce visceral fat.
A systematic review and meta-analysis published in the journal PLoS One analyzed 15 articles with 852 subjects using CT scans or MRIs to assess the participants’ visceral fat. Researchers discovered that moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise training has the highest potential to reduce visceral fat in overweight adults, even without being on a low-calorie diet. Specifically, after 12 weeks, aerobic exercise can reduce over 30 centimeters squared of fat in overweight female adults and over 40 centimeters squared in males.
Another systematic review published in the journal Advances in Nutrition analyzed 43 trials with a total of 3,552 subjects and found that aerobic exercise and resistance training can effectively reduce abdominal fat. Moreover, combining aerobic exercise and resistance training can be more effective than either alone.
A study published in the Journal of Diabetes Research found that high-intensity interval training (HIIT) was more effective at reducing visceral fat levels than moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT). The study followed 43 overweight and obese subjects for 12 weeks and found that those who participated in HIIT significantly reduced visceral fat more than those who participated in MICT.
These studies suggest that exercise, particularly aerobic exercise and HIIT, effectively reduces visceral fat levels.
In addition to diet and exercise, other lifestyle factors can contribute to reducing visceral fat and inflammation.
A randomized, controlled crossover study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that participants’ lack of sufficient sleep (four hours per night) might cause an 11 percent increase in abdominal visceral fat, in comparison with participants who got an average amount of sleep (they were allowed to sleep up to nine hours per night).
A study involving almost 1,000 male participants published in the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism found that alcohol consumption was associated with higher visceral fat levels. The study also discovered that alcohol consumption of 14 or more standard drinks per week might increase metabolic syndrome risk.
Another study published in the journal Diabetes Care examined almost 3,000 participants and found that a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical activity, a healthy diet, and not smoking, was associated with lower levels of visceral fat.
In conclusion, reducing visceral fat through diet and exercise can help to reduce inflammation and improve health outcomes. By making healthy lifestyle choices, we can reduce our risk of chronic disease and improve our overall health and well-being.