Obesity is an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The place where body fat accumulates influences the degree of risk.
An ‘apple figure’ is more dangerous than a ‘pear figure.’ What few people know is that people with a healthy and slim weight can run the same health risks. Slim people can still have quite a lot of fat around their organs, just like people with a big belly.
We are familiar with the apple and pear figure. The apple figure describes someone with a big belly. Someone with relatively thick legs has a pear figure. A pear figure is more favorable in this sense because the fat is also located around the organs in an apple figure.
belly fat
It is not scientifically proven yet, but it may be that belly fat is unhealthier because it ends up in the portal vein and quickly in the liver. This can lead to negative health effects such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Another possible explanation is that belly fat contains more substances that are negative for health than the fat on the hips. Researchers also suspect that the body stores fat in the abdomen because the fat cells are full elsewhere. In the worst case, the fat ends up in the organs. That could be in the pancreas and liver. That in turn has a bad influence on the metabolism and that makes a weight loss attempt extra difficult.
Slim yet belly fat
This is no reason for slim or thin people to think they have nothing to worry about. They also have to watch their health. A common saying is: ‘I can eat anything, I won’t gain weight anyway.’ Research has shown that even thin people can have fatty organs if they eat an unhealthy diet. They are even less healthy than overweight people who do eat a healthy diet. Unhealthy and fatty food is therefore unfavorable for the organs in any case.
healthy fat
It is advisable to keep the size of the abdomen to a minimum while using a healthy amount of fat. These are necessary to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. That means using as little saturated fat and mono- and polyunsaturated fats as possible. Healthy fats are found in low-fat margarine, fish, nuts and olive oil. Unhealthy fats are found in biscuits, chips, chocolate, fatty dairy products and meat.
waist circumference
A good tip for reducing the tummy is to measure the waist circumference. That says something about the fat distribution in the body. When trying to lose weight, it happens that the weight does not decrease despite healthy eating and lots of exercise. The waist circumference shows that progress has been made in the abdomen.
