Visceral fat is mainly located in the abdominal cavity and exists around human organs (liver, pancreas, kidney, etc.), so it is difficult to be directly seen or pinched.

We can regard visceral fat as this kind of gelatin, and pulp as the internal organs of human body. A small amount of visceral fat can protect the internal organs and play a buffering role.

However, if too much fat is accumulated around the internal organs, it will produce many molecules that cause inflammation, which will pollute the blood, interfere with hormones in the body and cause inflammation.

Visceral adipocytes are particularly active, releasing inflammatory markers and free fatty acids, which will reach the liver through the portal vein, which transports blood from the intestine, pancreas and spleen to the liver.

At this time, fat accumulates in the liver, which will produce inflammatory markers such as interleukin-6(IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL 1B), plasminogen activator inhibitor 1(PAI- 1) and tumor necrosis factor TNF-α. ①

Then, it will increase the risk of chronic diseases (fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular diseases, sudden death, etc.), and women are prone to gynecological diseases and hormonal problems, such as breast cancer and endometrial cancer.

Causes of visceral fat accumulation

So in life, which habits easily lead to visceral fat accumulation?

1, high-carbon water staple food, too much carbohydrate, will become fat stored in the body.

2, trans fat intake is too much, such as fried chicken, cakes, biscuits, bread, high-temperature fried food, instant noodles, these foods usually contain refined vegetable oil, artificial vegetable oil, margarine, margarine, cocoa butter and other trans fats.

3. Changes in the levels of some hormones (testosterone and estrogen) will make it easier for women to accumulate visceral fat when they enter menopause.

4. Excessive drinking, especially beer, is most likely to cause the accumulation of visceral fat.

Fortunately, visceral fat can be easily lost as long as you change your diet and lifestyle.

How to reduce visceral fat?

→ Eat a low-carbon water diet

Many studies show that a low-carbon diet is more effective than a low-fat diet in reducing visceral fat.

In an 8-week study, 69 overweight men and women were given a sugar-free low-carbon diet and a low-calorie diet (per day 1000 kcal/day).

Scientists have found that people who eat low-carbon water reduce10% visceral fat and 4.4% total fat compared with low-fat diet.

In another study, 15 healthy, overweight/obese men and 13 premenopausal overweight/obese women were given a very low carbohydrate ketogenic (VLCK) diet (carbohydrate: fat: protein = 9: 63: 28) and a low fat (LF) diet (58.

(The positive number indicates the weight loss of the very low carbohydrate ketogenic (VLCK) diet, while the negative number indicates the weight loss of the low fat (LF) diet, and it can be seen that the positive number is in the majority.)

The study found that although they ate about 300 calories more every day, people who followed the ketogenic diet still lost more visceral fat.

The reason is that the ketogenic diet greatly reduces the intake of carbohydrates and replaces them with fat, which makes you enter a state of nutritional ketosis, and your body becomes a fat-burning machine, so it is not a problem to burn visceral fat.

→ Do more aerobic exercise to quickly reduce visceral fat.

This is better for fake skinny people.

An analysis of 852 people 15 studies compared the extent to which different types of exercise reduced visceral fat without dieting.

They found that moderate and high-intensity aerobic exercise is the most effective for reducing visceral fat without dieting.

Another study found that in healthy women who are not obese, moderate aerobic exercise for six months will lead to the preferential reduction of visceral fat.

In another study, 9 randomized controlled trials and 7 non-randomized controlled trials were selected to let the subjects do aerobic exercise.

The results show that aerobic exercise reaching a certain intensity, such as fast walking and slow running, can reduce visceral fat and weight.

Some people watch, thin, often sedentary, never exercise or exercise without intensity, and their visceral fat may be particularly high, especially those who are old and have low metabolism.

On the contrary, although some people are fat, they often exercise, and their visceral fat is very little, which is the case with sumo wrestlers.

Therefore, exercise is very important for visceral fat consumption. You can take a brisk walk 2-3 times a week or do HIIT.

→ Eat more soluble fiber

Fibers can be divided into two categories: soluble and insoluble.

Soluble fiber will form a viscous gelatinous substance when mixed with water, which will slow down the digestion time of food from stomach to intestine.

When it reaches the colon, it will be fermented into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by intestinal bacteria to feed probiotics in the colon, which can suppress appetite and help reduce visceral fat.

Studies have shown that short-chain fatty acids are helpful to reduce ghrelin and increase the level of satiety hormones, such as cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1(GLP- 1) and tyrosine (PYY).

A study on 1 1 14 people found that only increasing the intake of 10 gram of soluble fiber per day can reduce the risk of visceral fat increase by as much as 3.7%.

For each 10 g increase in soluble fiber, rate of VAT accumulation decreased by 3.7%

You can eat more foods rich in soluble fiber (inulin, flaxseed, kale, avocado, artichokes, raspberries, peas, etc.) or take soluble fiber supplements.

→ Eat more protein.

Protein has the same function as the short-chain fatty acids mentioned above, and it can also help to improve metabolism, thereby reducing body weight and visceral fat. People with higher protein intake have less visceral fat.

A study among 23,876 adults showed that higher protein intake was related to lower body mass index, higher HDL cholesterol and smaller waist circumference, which were the signs of low visceral fat.

This study found that the dietary intake of protein between 1.0- 1.5 g/kg had a lower risk of heart metabolic diseases.

Try to eat more protein-rich foods, such as meat, fish, eggs and dairy products, which can help reduce visceral fat.

→ Strictly limit the intake of sugar

Sugar is very unhealthy, it does not provide any vitamins or minerals, and excessive intake will lead to weight gain and visceral fat gain.

In a study of 4 1 9- 18-year-old children, scientists used starch with the same calorie content instead of fructose in the diet.

They found that in just 10 days, liver fat was reduced by 3.4%, and visceral fat was reduced by10.6%.

You can reduce your sugar intake by eating more whole foods, such as fresh vegetables, low-sugar fruits and high-quality fat.

→ Strictly limit drinking.

Don't believe that moderate drinking will not affect your health, because as long as you drink alcohol, it will promote the storage of fat in the form of visceral fat, increase your waistline and damage your health.

A study of 87 women found that moderate drinking in adult healthy women is related to more visceral fat, which is caused by the increase of plasma androgen (that is, higher levels of total testosterone and free testosterone).

People who drink the most also have the largest waistlines and the most visceral fat. You see that many men have beer bellies, and their visceral fat is a lot.

Therefore, it is suggested that if you don't drink, don't drink. It is best to replace wine with tea, which is courteous and healthy.

→ Avoid trans fats

Trans fat is an artificial fat produced by pumping hydrogen into vegetable oil, which will not deteriorate and has a longer shelf life.

In this 6-year study, monkeys were fed diets containing 8% artificial trans fat or monounsaturated fat, and their calories were similar, but the visceral fat of monkeys fed trans fat diet increased by 33%.

Trans fats increase the content of bad cholesterol (LDL) and decrease the content of good cholesterol (HDL) in blood, which is the chief culprit of cardiovascular diseases. Some studies have found that for every 2% more trans fats, the probability of cardiovascular diseases increases by 23%, which is terrible.

It is suggested that cakes, biscuits and fried foods containing trans fatty acids such as refined vegetable oil, vegetable butter, margarine and cocoa butter should not be eaten.

→ Ensure adequate sleep.

Studies have shown that lack of sleep may increase visceral fat, on the contrary, increasing sleep time will help reduce visceral fat.

A six-year study of 293 patients found that increasing sleep time from 6 hours to 7-8 hours can reduce visceral fat gain by about 26%.

If you have difficulty getting enough sleep, you can relax before going to bed or take magnesium supplements. It is recommended to sleep for 7-8 hours every day.

→ Reduce stress

Stress and anxiety are common problems for many people. Both of them can stimulate the adrenal gland to produce excessive cortisol, which will increase the storage of visceral fat.

In addition, constant stress will aggravate overeating, which in turn will worsen the problem.

In order to reduce stress, you can try to exercise more, do yoga, meditate or spend more time with friends and family.

→ Take probiotics.

Some probiotics can reduce the absorption of dietary fat in the intestine, thus increasing the amount of fat excreted in feces, and also help to promote higher levels of GLP- 1 (a satiety hormone) and ANGPTL4 (a protein that can help reduce fat storage).

Studies have shown that Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus amyloliquefaciens and Lactobacillus gasseri can help to lose visceral fat.

For example, a study of 2 10 healthy Japanese adults found that people who took Lactobacillus gasseri within 12 weeks lost 8.5% of their visceral fat.

However, once participants stop taking probiotics, their visceral fat will return to its original state within one month.

Therefore, probiotics should be eaten often.

→ Try to stop eating and eat less.

For obese people, fasting is the fastest way to lose weight.

Intermittent fasting does not restrict any food, it only focuses on when you start eating.

Some studies have found that intermittent fasting can help reduce visceral fat by 4-7% within 6-24 weeks.

Eat less, and your whole body fat will burn automatically, not just visceral fat.

The key thin dragon said

Visceral fat is high, and all kinds of problems are coming, so be careful.

To judge whether a person is healthy, besides waist circumference, it is more important to look at visceral fat.

Generally speaking, the visceral fat rate is below 9, and the lower the rate, the better.

10-14 is on the high side, so it needs proper exercise and diet.

15 or above is super high, so you need to reduce fat immediately, otherwise it will increase your risk of chronic diseases (heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and even some cancers).

If you find that your visceral fat rate is high, you can take the following effective strategies to reduce visceral fat.

For example, reducing the intake of carbohydrate, eating less sugar, not drinking, staying away from trans fats, increasing the intake of protein, eating more vegetables to increase the intake of soluble fiber, and doing aerobic exercise.