Visceral fat is fat that accumulates around the internal organs. The terms visceral fat or visceral fat are also often used to refer to the same thing. All these terms refer to the abdominal fat mass located around and inside the internal organs.
Visceral fat accumulates in the abdominal cavity around the intestines and viscera, as well as inside the internal organs. In particular, it accumulates in the liver. Visceral fat is dangerous in nature and its accumulation should be monitored closely.
Visceral fat is different from other fat that accumulates in the body.
Although fat accumulation is normal and even inevitable with age, visceral fat in particular is harmful to health.
Excessive accumulation of visceral fat leads to a number of diseases.
In general, adipose tissue plays an active role in the functioning of the whole body. It functions in the same way as the pancreas, thyroid gland or any other internal organ.
Too much fat in the abdominal cavity inevitably leads to health problems.
Visceral fat increases the effectiveness of many the risk of many lifestyle diseases. Näihin kuuluvat muun muassa sydänsairaudet, diabetes sekä ruoansulatus- ja suolisto-ongelmat. Myös yhteyksiä erilaisiin syöpätyyppeihin on löydetty.
Unlike the rest of the body, fat in the abdominal cavity releases metabolites directly into the bloodstream, interfering with the function of the liver and other internal organs.
The liver suffers badly from visceral fat. Fatty liver disease means, among other things, that fat accumulating in liver cells enlarges the liver, reducing its ability to function.
Liver cells start secreting hard fats and sugars. They raise cholesterol and blood pressure, while reducing the effect of insulin in the body.
The pancreas then produces insulin, but at a reduced rate. This increases the risk of, for example, type 2 diabetes.
Visceral fat makes people more prone to cardiovascular disease. Studies show that link between lifestyle diseases and visceral fat accumulation is very strong.
Visceral fat is a major risk factor for heart attacks or other heart problems. It causes inflammation and can lead to arterial occlusion.
Problems can also occur in the digestive system and intestines.
Visceral fat is also combined with some types of cancer onset – for example, a link has been found between the onset of breast cancer in women and high levels of visceral fat.
Visceral fat can also be linked to fatigue, mood swings, stress and anxiety – even depression, which can be caused by elevated cortisol levels in the blood.
Visceral fat is not visible or felt from the outside. The easiest way to monitor it is to go for a body composition measurement.
Some of us are genetically more susceptible to the accumulation of visceral fat than others.
In addition to genes, factors such as physical inactivity, poor eating habits, stress hormones and substance abuse are also contributing factors.
Men are more prone to visceral fat accumulation than women, but the problem affects both sexes equally.
The waist-to-hip ratio is often used as an indicator of disease risk. Studies have shown that the so-called. people with apple bodies have a higher risk of lifestyle diseases than people with pear bodies.
Obesity in the midsection often indicates that a person has also gained visceral fat with weight.
But looks don’t tell the whole story. Even a slim body can have a harmful amount of visceral fat.
An unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and substance abuse are factors that can also lead to visceral fat levels being elevated in an outwardly thin person.
The genetic component is beyond the control of the individual, but fortunately this does not mean that nothing can be done if visceral fat starts to accumulate to dangerous levels. On the contrary, there are effective and easy ways to bring about change in a short time.
About ten percent of total body fat mass is normally visceral fat.
There are different ways of defining fat mass estimation methods and calculation formulasbut the only accurate way to determine the exact amount of fat mass is through body composition measurement.
In Bodymaja’s body composition measurement, the visceral fat value is expressed in centimetres squared. It refers to the area covered by fat in a computed cross-sectional view of the abdominal cavity at the level of the navel.
The Bodymaja measurement report shows visceral fat in a clear scale bar, showing the amount of visceral fat in cm2 and where the result ranks against the recommended values.
The measurement is carried out using a high quality InBody 770 measuring device.
You can order a visceral fat body composition measurement here >>
The recommended target value for visceral fat is less than 100 cm2, regardless of age and sex.
The figures are typically significantly lower at younger ages than in old age.
The amount of visceral fat increases with age in everyone, but it should not exceed 100 even at older ages.
You can only find out your exact value by measuring your body composition.
The best way to reduce visceral fat is through a proper diet and regular exercise.
Visceral fat is produced by the same simple mechanism as other body fat accumulation.
Fat is produced when the body gets too much energy in relation to what it consumes.
The key to losing visceral fat is to lose total body fat mass. Tactical weight-loss measures such as diet control and increased exercise also have a clear impact on visceral fat levels.
Research suggests that for every kilogram of fat mass lost through exercise and diet, an average of 6.9 cm2 of visceral fat area can be expected to be reduced on body composition measurements.
Changing your eating habits goes a long way. In addition, increasing high-intensity physical activity in particular has been shown to have a significant effect on reducing visceral fat.
So get plenty of exercise and eat right. Choose a balanced diet and the forms of exercise that bring you pleasure. Balancing your lifestyle to make it work is important.
Remember to get plenty of rest, avoid stress and cut down on both tobacco and alcohol consumption.
When it comes to diet, the most important thing is to cut out the excess energy from meals first and make sure that the amount of energy you get from food and drink each day does not exceed what you consume. Reduce your sugar intake and also cut down on the amount of hard fats in your diet.
In addition to reducing fats, a low-carbohydrate diet is an effective weapon against visceral fat. It is important for those following it to ensure that their muscles still get enough fuel to keep up their exercise performance.
Studies have found indications that good calcium and vitamin D levels are associated with lower levels of visceral fat.
Exercise boosts the effects of diet. It is particularly important to do aerobic exercise several times a week.
This means a steady-state workout where your heart rate stays at around 70% of your maximum heart rate. This way, your body uses mainly fat as its energy source.
Of course, in addition to basic fitness, it’s also good to do some heart rate-boosting sweat exercise 1-2 times a week.
As well as looking after your exercise and diet, it’s also important to look after your mental wellbeing. Studies have shown that high cortisol levels brought on by stress have an upward effect on visceral fat levels.
Anyone aiming to reduce visceral fat should avoid or at least significantly reduce their use of intoxicants.
Smoking and alcohol consumption have been found in several studies to have a clear effect on the increase in visceral fat.
Improving visceral fat levels is a long-term effort, and regular body composition measurements are an excellent way to monitor this.
It’s a great motivational boost to see how the numbers decrease between each measurement.
The first results are already visible fairly quickly after the lifestyle change. For example, a monthly or bi-monthly body composition measurement will show the results of your work in a concrete way.
The amount of visceral fat is clearly broken down in each Bodymaja InBody measurement report. It’s easy to track progress. The measurement is performed in exactly the same way every time, so the results are always comparable.
