Why is belly fat unhealthy and how do you get rid of it?

Belly fat is much unhealthier than subcutaneous fat. It not only threatens your health, but in extreme cases it is even life-threatening. Scientists are even convinced that people in their thirties with a ‘beer belly’ live up to twenty years less than their peers with a healthy waist circumference. The results of recent studies conducted at the British City University London show that your waist circumference is healthy if it is half your body height. So it’s best to exchange the scale for the tape measure, but how do you get rid of excess and unhealthy belly fat?

Body Mass Index or BMI

Until now, it was always assumed that the Body Mass Index or BMI revealed possible obesity. Your BMI depends on your height and weight. To find your BMI, divide your weight by the square of your height in meters. A healthy BMI varies between 20 and 25. A BMI lower than 18.5 is considered underweight. A BMI of over 25 is considered overweight. From a BMI of 30 you suffer from obesity.

Belly circumference says more about your health than BMI

In recent years, more and more attention has been paid to your abdominal circumference. For good health, your waist circumference is no more than half your body height. There is a difference between men and women. In women, a healthy waist circumference is less than 80 centimeters. With a waist circumference between 80 and 88 centimeters you run an increased risk and from 88 centimeters your health is seriously at risk. Your risk of serious conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, disturbed cholesterol levels and diabetes then increases significantly. In men, there is an increased risk from a waist circumference of 94 centimeters. A waist circumference of 102 centimeters or more is considered a serious health risk.

Waist half of body weight

From now on, dietitians and nutrition coaches assume that your waist should not be more than half your body height. A woman with a height of 170 centimeters may therefore have a maximum waist circumference of 85 centimeters. To function healthily, the waist circumference of men with a height of, for example, 184 centimeters is 92 centimeters.

Your life expectancy partly depends on your waist circumference

The health risks of a beer belly have been underestimated until now. Depending on your waist circumference, your life expectancy decreases. A thirty-year-old man with a waist circumference of eighty percent of his body height risks dying twenty years earlier than peers with a normal waist circumference. In this case, women run the risk of dying more than ten years earlier.

Measure abdominal circumference

Measuring your waist circumference regularly is therefore even more important than stepping on the scale every day. To get your abdominal circumference quickly and correctly, first find your lower rib. From there, slowly slide your finger forward to about two centimeters above your navel. Now place your tape measure and we on this predetermined spot and lay it parallel to the ground. Now exhale completely and measure your abdominal circumference. The better you feel your hip socket laterally when measuring your abdominal circumference, the more correct the result.

Inflammatory response

Belly fat is therefore much more harmful than fat under the body, such as chubby arms and/or legs, or a heavy buttocks. Subcutaneous fat sits like a kind of cushion under your skin. However, belly fat is visceral fat that is spread between your abdominal organs, preventing their normal function. Belly fat causes an inflammatory response in your body, which you feel little or nothing about. After all, these inflammatory reactions develop at the level of your body cells. In addition to clogging your arteries, they also cause sugar resistance, with the result that you will have difficulty digesting sugars, your liver will become fatty and your metabolism will be disrupted.

Causes of unhealthy belly fat

Belly fat is in some cases hereditary, but there are also other causes including lack of exercise, smoking and drinking alcohol.

This is how you get rid of your belly fat

Ridding your body of its unhealthy belly fat is easier said than done. Removing all fats from the daily menu is a common mistake in the fight against unhealthy belly fat. After all, your body needs good fats to function properly. In the fight against belly fat, concentrate on carbohydrates and fast sugars. Do you want to finally get rid of your ‘beer belly’? Then limit the consumption of refined pasta, pasta and refined rice as much as possible, as well as potatoes, bread, sweets, cookies and pastries. Eat as much fruit and vegetables as possible, all types of fish with a preference for oily fish such as eel, salmon, mackerel, trout, sardines, herring and anchovies, nuts, seeds and kernels. Eating a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle is your best guarantee against developing unhealthy belly fat. news highlighted