If you are a man, close your eyes and imagine you were dressed as a woman, wearing a tight fitted dress, makeup, wig and high heel shoes. Would people think you were pregnant due to the hefty load you are carrying in the midsection? If so open your eyes and accept the reality that you have a pot belly. You may laugh at this but gone were the days when potbelly was considered a sign of wealth and success, when the rich in the middle ages wore their bellies as a badge of honour. Times have since changed. Nowadays being lean is a status symbol and hang-over- the-belt bellies are no longer in vogue. Whether you refer to it as your pot belly, beer belly, beer gut, spare tyre, bulldozer or clinically as central obesity, stomach fat is hazardous to your health. According to Harvard health, it impairs the body’s responsiveness to insulin, raising blood sugar and insulin levels and contributes to major causes of death and disability, including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, osteoarthritis, fatty liver, and depression.
Abdominal obesity, is when excessive abdominal fat around the stomach and abdomen has built up to the extent that it is likely to have a negative impact on health . It’s commonly assumed that there is a direct correlation between the amount of beer men consume and the size of their beer bellies, but not all beer drinkers have them. So what really causes men, and some women, to develop the infamous stomach? It’s not necessarily beer but too many calories that can turn your trim waistline into a belly that protrudes over your shirt.
The calories could come from alcohol, sugary beverages, or oversized portions of food.
However, alcohol does seem to have a particular association with fat in the midsection.
However, according to Mayo clinic, alcohol intake is associated with bigger pot belliesbecause when you drink alcohol, the liver burns alcohol instead of fat. Another thing with beer is that they are so easy to overdo. A typical beer has 150 calories and if you drink several in one sitting, you can end up with serious calorie overload. Alcohol increases your appetite.
Why fat accumulates in the belly
When you eat more than you exercise, the excess calories are stored as fat. But how your body decides to store the fat is partly determined by your age, sex, and hormones. While growing up, little boys and girls start out with similar fat storage patterns, but puberty changes that. Women have more subcutaneous fat (the kind under the skin) than men, so those extra fat calories go to their arms, thighs, and buttocks, as well as their bellies. But men have less subcutaneous fat, so they store more in their bellies. However, aging plays a role. Pot bellies tend to be more prominent in older people because as you age, you lose muscle, especially if you’re not physically active. Loss of muscle mass decreases the rate at which your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight. In addition, in some men, fat cells in the arms and legs lose the ability to store fat, which causes any excess fat to go to the abdomen.
Your genes also can affect your chances of being overweight or obese, as well as play a role in where you store fat. As hormone levels decline in men and women as they age, they’re more likely to store fat around the middle. Apart from the fact that belly fat can make you look less attractive, devaluing your physique, it has some health consequences. According to the world health organization, major risk factor for obesity include noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), diabetes; musculoskeletal disorders (especially osteoarthritis – a highly disabling degenerative disease of the joints) and some cancers (endometrial, breast, and colon). Carrying extra pounds in your thighs or hips is less risky than carrying them in the abdominal region because subcutaneous fat, the fat around your waist, thighs, hips, and buttocks is not as dangerous as the visceral fat that’s found deep within the abdominal cavity surrounding your organs.
Measuring abdominal obesity
The most accurate way to measure visceral fat is with computed tomography (CT scanning) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But a simpler technique by experts is waist circumference. According to scientists, when waist circumference exceeds 35 inches for women and 40 for men, it is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and overall mortality. So it’s best to keep your waist size below these numbers.
Losing your pot belly
The tried and true method of losing belly fat is eating healthy and getting more physical activity. According to the world health organization, to fight obesity, one must limit energy intake from total fats and sugars, increase consumption of fruit and vegetables, as well as legumes, whole grains and nut and engage in regular physical activity; 60 minutes a day for children and 150 minutes per week for adults. According to an article by webmd.com, because of the link between alcohol calories and belly fat, drinking less alcohol is a good place to start. Avoid binge drinking, which puts you at risk for liver damage and other serious health problems.
Heavy drinkers should opt for light beers with 100 calorie or less, and limit the number they drink per day. Another option is to drink alcohol only on weekends, and to alternate alcoholic drinks with low-calorie, non-alcohol beverages. Also avoiding cigarettes is important because nicotine speeds up metabolism, thereby burning more kilojoules.
According to a study published in obesity research, individuals who never smoked had the smallest waist-hip ratio, smokers had the largest.
Exercises like sit-ups, crunches, or other abdominal exercises are famous for strengthening the core muscles and help you hold in your belly fat. Aerobic exercises like running, swimming, cycling, and tennis are some of the best to help reduce body fat. So stop blaming your pot belly on the delicious food you eat or on your desk job, begin a exercise routine today.
