Why Belly Fat is Unhealthy and Why Soluble Fiber may be Your Lifesaver

Not only are big bellies ugly, they are unhealthy, as well. If your weight is primarily accumulated around your mid-section, learning to live with it is a dangerous option. You are actually dying from it. Research provides us with evidence that big bellies increase our risk for many chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, insulin resistance, diabetes, and cancer. There is no way around it, belly fat is unhealthy and it is dangerous.

New Research Confirms:  Belly Fat is Unhealthy - Period

The Mayo Clinic produced one of the largest studies to date concerning belly fat. Researchers studied 16,000 people with coronary artery disease around the world and found that those who had coronary artery disease and central obesity had twice the risk of dying. This was one of the largest studies of its kind and the findings refuted the obesity paradox. This is a finding in previous studies that show patients with a higher BMI and chronic diseases had a better survival odd than normal-weight individuals. The lead researcher, Dr. Thais Coutinho, tells us that disease is more related to the way the fat is distributed on the body rather than the measure of weight in proportion to height. In other words, belly fat is very unhealthy.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (yeah, the CDC), more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. That’s 72 million people! And of these obese people, many have accumulated belly fat.

Dr. Harvey Simon of Harvard Medical School tells us that when it comes to belly fat, there are two kinds to worry about.

One is the subcutaneous fat that piles around your midsection. The other is the visceral fat, the substance that is hidden beneath your abdominal muscles. The visceral fat allow for a wide array of hormones and other substances to be poured into our bloodstream. The inflammatory chemicals that arise from the visceral fat cells are what researchers say contributes to the chronic disease development.

Fiber Fights the Fat

There is new research by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) that has found increasing soluble fiber in the diet decreases visceral fat stores. This was achieved during a five-year study of people who ate 10 grams of soluble fiber per day. The belly fat in these subjects was reduced by almost 4% over the five-year time frame. The lead researcher, Kristen Hairston, M.D., stated “We know that a higher rate of visceral fat is associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and fatty liver disease and our study found that making a few simple changes can have a big impact.”

Why is Belly Fat so Dangerously Unhealthy?

The list of health risks associated with belly fat increase each year, along with the girth of the nation’s waistline. Loosing abdominal weight is a challenging thing but scientists believe that when your weight is normal, your hormone and chemical levels are normal.

This is said to hinder your appetite, burn stored fat, regulate insulin, and protect against chronic diseases. The good news is that belly fat does come off with dieting and exercise.


Recently, scientists have found that the fat cells of the abdomen release a substance known as angiotensin which constricts blood vessels and causes high blood pressure. Another protein called retinol-binding protein or RBP is released from belly fat and it increases insulin levels. Visceral fat has also been linked to cancer.  It is thought that after menopause, a woman’s ovaries stop producing estrogen so the fat cells are the major source at that time. Extra hormone production from fat is thought to fuel the growth of breast tumors as well as colorectal malignancies. Another worrisome fact is that visceral fat is deep in the abdomen near critical organs like the liver and pancreas. The dangerous proteins and chemicals that are released by the fat goes straight to the liver and disrupts the production and balance of cholesterol.

Research indicates that stress plays a big role in the accumulation of belly fat. When you are under stress, your body produces cortisol, a hormone that places your body on alert. It tells your body to store up fat for later use. Unfortunately, you do not need more visceral fat when you already have quite a bit showing. Stress is commonly linked to other unhealthy behaviors, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and increased eating.

How Do You Measure Up?

How do you know if you have too much visceral fat? It is not just your overall weight that is a factor. Your weight should be appropriate for your height, but your abdominal girth measurement is the best way to examine visceral belly fat. Belly fat tends to increase with age. You can use a tape measure around your waist just above your hipbone. Do not suck in your stomach when you do this. The average-sized woman should not have a waist measurement of more than 34 inches. For most men, a measurement of greater than 40 inches is cause for concern.

Oh, What to Do?

It took years for your belly to get this big, will it take years to get it flat again or is this even possible? The good news is yes. If you can exercise at all, you can lose belly fat. Physicians recommend that you get some type of cardiovascular exercise four or five times a day and go on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. You will have to eliminate most empty calorie food and beverage items from your diet and eat healthy. The important thing to remember is that this is a lifestyle change. Cutting out junk food and eating right along with a daily exercise plan is a proven way to rid your abdomen of the spare tire. To maintain a healthy abdominal girth, you will have to change your lifestyle for good.