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They argue that when you eat a big meal, fat transporter molecules called chylomicrons get stuck in an area close to the gut and are then digested and stored in the closest fat deposit – the belly. US researchers at Ketchum University, for example, reckon that spreading out your fat intake across several small meals during the day should help. Other researchers suggest there are tactics you can employ to target visceral fat specifically. Your best bet, says Jensen, is to go for fat loss in general – anything that creates a 'negative energy balance' should blast the belly fat along with the rest of it.
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It’s not that easy to single out visceral fat with a diet and exercise plan. If the same occurs in humans, then as we get older, these immune cells get old too, and cantankerous they accumulate specifically in visceral fat, sending out signals that trigger inflammation and generally misbehave in ways that interfere with our metabolism. There’s also evidence from studies in mice suggesting that immune cells in fat tissue may be partly to blame for belly fat and some of the health issues associated with it. Recent research at the University of Sydney suggests there may be a 'preservation signal' unique to visceral fat cells that is triggered by repeated attempts to fast, meaning that on some diets, trying to lose weight only encourages your belly to hold on to its fat for dear life. “There is some thought that visceral fat cells are more hearty – they live longer than subcutaneous fat cells,” says Jensen. In other words, what you eat could turn up the dial on those genes particularly associated with piling on the pounds around your waist.
FAT FEMALE BODY WITH BACK COPY SPACE CODE
Dr Jordana Bell and Colette Christiansen at King’s College London recently published a study using data from twins to home in on epigenetic changes to our DNA – chemical changes to DNA resulting from our lifestyles that don’t affect the code itself.Īccording to Christiansen, there was evidence that it was epigenetics that was mediating the impact of diet on visceral fat.
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Researchers are also now starting to look at differences in gene activity in fat tissues that might explain why some people develop more belly fat than others.
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However, what we’re now realising, Jensen says, is that you’re unlikely to have too much visceral fat unless something has already gone wrong with your other fat stores – in that sense, visceral fat is perhaps more of a 'canary in the coalmine' for a dysfunctional metabolism. Insulin resistance is a pre-diabetic state where the body responds less well to the hormone insulin, which helps us maintain normal blood sugar levels. “As we go up the obesity scale, men are definitely the kings of visceral fat.” How is visceral fat different to other fat?ĭecades of scientific research suggest that excess visceral fat may be linked to health problems like insulin resistance and diabetes. “Even in lean, healthy men and women, men have twice as much visceral fat as women,” says Dr Michael Jensen, an expert in adipose tissue (body fat) at the University of Rochester, Minnesota.