Department of Health and Human Services. Maillard F. Effect of high-intensity interval training on total, abdominal and visceral fat mass: A meta-analysis. Sports Medicine.

Wewege MA. The effect of resistance training in healthy adults on body fat percentage, fat mass and visceral fat: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Products and Services A Book: Mayo Clinic on High Blood Pressure A Book: Mayo Clinic Family Health Book, 5th Edition A Book: Man Overboard!

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Admissions Requirements. Degree Programs. Research Faculty. International Patients. Financial Services. Taken together, these changes, known as metabolic syndrome, create a serious risk for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that people in their early 40s with the highest levels of abdominal fat, compared with those who had the least abdominal fat at that age, were nearly three times more likely to develop dementia including Alzheimer's disease by their mids to early 80s.

Dementia was not associated with increased thigh size. The risks were highest for women who were both large-waisted and overweight or obese. The investigators believe that belly fat raises the risk of asthma more than other poundage because it has inflammatory effects throughout the body, including in the airways.

Breast cancer. A combined analysis of several studies found that premenopausal women with abdominal obesity the largest waist size in proportion to their height were at greater risk for breast cancer. Large waists were also linked to breast cancer risk among postmenopausal women, but that effect was not significant once BMI was taken into account.

Colorectal cancer. People with the most visceral fat have three times the risk of developing colorectal adenomas precancerous polyps than those with the least visceral fat.

The relationship was found after many other risks were accounted for. The researchers also confirmed that adenomatous polyps in the colon are associated with insulin resistance, which may be the mechanism that increases the cancer risk. Where you tend to gain fat depends on your genes, your hormones, your age, your birth weight smaller babies more readily add belly fat later in life , and whether you've had children women who have given birth tend to develop more visceral fat than women who haven't.

As young adults, women on average have less visceral fat than men, but that changes with menopause. You can't change your birth weight or your genes, and you can't hold off menopause.

But there are several ways you can minimize the accumulation of visceral fat. The good news is that because it's more readily metabolized into fatty acids, it responds more efficiently to diet and exercise than fat on the hips and thighs.

Here are some approaches that may help:. Keep moving. Exercise can help reduce your waist circumference. Even if you don't lose weight, you lose visceral belly fat and gain muscle mass.

Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days, such as brisk walking or bicycling at a casual pace. Also create opportunities to add motion to routine tasks. For example, park farther from your destination and walk the rest of the way, take the stairs instead of the elevator, and stand while you talk on the phone.

Studies have shown that you can help trim visceral fat or prevent its growth with both aerobic activity such as brisk walking and strength training exercising with weights. Spot exercises, such as sit-ups, can tighten abdominal muscles but won't get at visceral fat.

Exercise can also help keep fat from coming back. Eat right. Choose a balanced diet that helps you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Avoid products that seem to encourage belly fat deposition, especially simple sugars like fructose-sweetened foods and beverages.

Don't smoke. The more you smoke, the more likely you are to store fat in your abdomen rather than on your hips and thighs. Get your sleep. Too little is bad. A five-year study found that adults under age 40 who slept five hours or less a night accumulated significantly more visceral fat.

But too much isn't good, either — young adults who slept more than eight hours also added visceral fat. This relationship wasn't found in people over age Mind your mood. Middle-aged women who show more hostility and had more depressive symptoms tend to have more visceral fat — but not more subcutaneous fat.

Forget the quick fix. Liposuction for cosmetic fat removal doesn't reach inside the abdominal wall. As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.

You may also eat faster than you normally do after skipping a meal, which may cause you to miss the warning signs that you're full and make you more likely to overeat. Eating too fast can also add air to your stomach, resulting in bloating, so slow down and chew your food well.

Unfortunately, there's no fast fix for belly fat. However, there are certain things you can do to help speed up the process. Mindful lifestyle changes and a commitment to changing your eating and exercise habits over time are your best bet.

With a little patience and perseverance, you'll be well on your way to a healthier you. Use limited data to select advertising. Create profiles for personalised advertising. Use profiles to select personalised advertising.

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List of Partners vendors. Special Diets Weight Loss Quick Weight-Loss. By Kristina LaRue, RD, CSSD. Reviewed by Dietitian Novella Lui is a registered dietitian and a nutrition and health writer.

Reviewed by Dietitian Novella Lui, RD, M. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines. In This Article View All. In This Article. What Is Belly Fat, and Is It Dangerous?

What to Eat to Lose Belly Fat. Exercises to Reduce Belly Fat. Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Belly Fat. The Bottom Line. Foods to Lose Belly Fat. Healthy High-Protein Lunch Ideas for Work. Was this page helpful?

Callipers fat measuring devices are far less reliable and can be prone to human error. Basically, everything you need to know about how to lose stomach fat.

The one takeaway we hope you leave with, though, is that for all of the ways to lose belly fat, the way you speak to and view yourself is the most important thing in all of this. Whether you do or do not want to lose stomach fat, you are still worthy of love and respect from yourself.

If you feel that the only thing you can focus on is trying to lose fat fast or entering into any unhelpful and unhealthy habits, take a step back and reassess.

Focus on small things like watching your stress, sleeping well or choosing nutrient-dense foods. These 7 apps for intermittent fasting really work. A super simple guide to counting your macros. You asked: what are Slimming World Speed Foods? Best diets to lose weight: 22 plans, debunked.

How to lose a stone in the healthiest way possible. Is WFH making you put on weight? New flavours of viral Lidl High Protein Pudding. Extreme diets shown to do more harm than good. Search Fitness Health Healthy Mums Beauty Food Travel Gym Wear World of Woo Project Body Love All Videos Subscribe Newsletter Follow Competitions Privacy Notice Cookies Policy Other Editions.

Skip to Content Fitness Health Gym Wear Beauty Food. Jump to: 1. What is belly fat? How much body fat should you have? How long does it take to lose belly fat? What is the best exercise to lose belly fat? What exercise burns the most abdominal fat? What is the best diet to lose belly fat?

How do I lose lower belly fat? How do I lose belly fat fast? How can I lose my tummy in 7 days? What's the best way to burn belly fat if you're over 40? How do you measure whether you're losing belly fat? A final note on the best way to lose belly fat. Form Nutrition Performance Protein - Chocolate Peanut £31 at The Sports Edit.

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Innermost The Lean Protein — Creamy Vanilla Shop at liveinnermost. Bio-Synergy Whey Hey — Coffee® SHOP NOW £ Weight Loss. Subcutaneous fat is the looser fat that lets you "pinch an inch" and can accumulate just under the skin.

Visceral fat is the packed between your abdominal organs stomach, liver, kidneys, etc. When ads claim a "one trick" solution, remember that their main objective is to sell their product rather than to help you. Good marketing means one message, because it is hard to follow too many things at once.

So they focus on one fad, and that tickles your curiosity and you click on the link to go their website. Typically there are many things you may need to improve to lose belly fat. But start by focusing on changing or improving just one thing. Then, once you conquer that first objective, you can move on to the next thing, and so on.

One good place to begin improving your food choices is to eliminate sugary drinks — and not just soda, but juices. Sugar increases belly fat and fiber reduces belly fat; thus when you're juicing fruits, you're removing the fiber, leaving pure sugar.

So one quick fix, a very concrete fix, would be eliminating sugary drinks. Replacing sugary beverages with water will help dramatically cut down your sugar intake, and then once you've taken that step, you can figure out how to cut down on foods that are high in sugar.

If you have a sweet tooth and need to put that final accent to your meal, eat an apple, melon or fresh berries. Just remember, fruit is not a substitute for vegetables. The popular "flat belly diets"embrace much of the wisdom found in eating a Mediterranean diet, which helps everything from brain health to hearth health.

The basic premise for both diets is eat foods rich in monosaturated fatty acids MUFA that may help reduce your belly fat storage. MUFA-rich foods include olive oil, nuts and seeds, avocados, and fish. Eating yogurt regularly has also been found to be helpful in reducing belly fat. Another diet trend that promises results when it comes to belly fat: the apple cider vinegar diet.

While animal studies have been promising, current research in humans has yet to show impressive results.

The data supporting the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, however, are real and cause for making some dietary changes.

Start your meal, especially your largest meal, with seasoned vegetables, be it vegetable soup or the vegetables on your entrée plate. And remember that vegetables should always comprise at least half of your plate and be a mix of starchy like potatoes and nonstarchy ones your leafy greens, broccoli, etc.

Eating the vegetables first will leave less room for other foods that aren't as healthy, because vegetable fiber is filling. The single most important thing people can do to prevent the buildup of belly fat and get rid of existing belly fat is commit to physical activity, and better yet, a physical lifestyle.

In a way, moderate-intensity physical activity is that "magic pill" a lot of people are looking for, because the health benefits go beyond keeping your waistline trim: Not only can it reduce your risk of cancer , stroke , diabetes and heart attacks , but studies have shown that physical activity can significantly improve the moods of patients with major depressive disorders.

Overtraining, though, can be problematic when it comes to fighting belly fat because it can lead to coristol overproduction. Excess amounts of this stress hormone has been found to be associated with belly fat.

Simply walking briskly an hour each day can have an impact by boosting your metabolism, as can adding an incline to your treadmill routine.

Here's something else most people probably don't know: Fidgeting is good for you. It's considered a nonexercise physical activity, and it's an important way to burn energy. Here's your guide to understanding exactly what belly fat is and how you might be able to reduce it over time.

Visceral fat, commonly known as belly fat, is the layer of fat below the muscles of your abdomen. Due to its crucial location surrounding many of your vital organs, belly fat supplies a constant source of energy while also exposing the body to harmful toxins and hormones.

When you have too many fat cells or your fat cells get too large, they can overproduce toxins that increase your risk for chronic inflammation , diabetes, heart disease and cancer.

For these reasons, belly fat can be more dangerous than subcutaneous fat—that outer layer of fat you can pinch with your fingers. That said, the reason you're having trouble buttoning your pants may not even be due to visceral fat.

What we're calling "belly fat" these days could actually be bloating or water retention. Read on for steps to lose belly fat the healthy way—no restrictive fad diets necessary. There's no one exact diet that targets belly fat more than others. To reduce belly fat, you need to consider the timing, size and nutritional quality of your meals.

This can help you maintain a healthy weight, reduce visceral fat and avoid uncomfortable bloating. Start with these tips to begin your journey to losing belly fat the healthy way.

Certain carbohydrates tend to be poorly absorbed in your intestines and rapidly ferment as they sit there, leading to gas and bloating. Common culprits include refined carbohydrates and simple sugars—like those found in processed foods with added sugars.

Excess sodium can also cause bloating due to increased water retention. While there are plenty of healthy packaged foods out there, there are just as many that aren't as great. Opt for freshly prepared foods most of the time to help reduce your intake of processed, packaged foods that can cause belly bloat.

For example, swap a high-added-sugar bowl of cereal for a Green Smoothie made with fresh fruits and vegetables to get your day going in the morning. Protein serves a dual role in helping you reduce belly fat by increasing and maintaining muscle mass and metabolism, while also helping to stave off hunger.

Eating protein could also lead to increased satisfaction after a meal, which may help you eat fewer calories later in the day. This Chipotle Chicken Quinoa Burrito Bowl is a great lunch option to help you feel full and tide you over until your next meal.

Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that your body can't digest. It helps regulate the body's use of sugar as it slowly passes through your digestive system. Increasing your daily fiber intake can result in greater satisfaction after meals since it helps fill you up. Your blood sugar is less likely to spike and crash when you eat more fiber, too.

Because of this, you'll stave off that "hangry" feeling, which means you won't be reaching for anything and everything in sight—which also reduces the number of total calories eaten for the day.

When trying to lose belly fat, aim to get at least 25 grams of fiber in your diet each day. Foods that are rich in fiber include pulses, like lentils and beans; apples and pears, with the skin; nuts and seeds; and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and Brussels sprouts.

Try this recipe for Tabbouleh with Chickpeas for a fiber-packed side dish or a one-dish dinner! In an ideal world, we would be able to target the exact part of our body we want to burn calories from—but that's not how it works.

Thankfully, there are a few exercises that are especially effective at burning fat from the belly area—and from the rest of your body.

If your go-to warm-up or cardio workout is on the treadmill, try bumping up the incline of your machine.