Stress and Belly Fat

Stress and abdominal fat seem to go hand in hand. This has been proven in both rats and monkeys. It also appears to be true in humans, even when a person is of normal weight, when one is under stress the amount of fat stored in one’s belly increases. Cortisol has be nicknamed the stress hormone. And while cortisol in small amounts can be helpful when cortisol in larger amounts over a longer period of time less desirable things can occur. Some of the negative things that can happen are:

Impaired thought

Blood sugar imbalances

A decrease in bone density

Decreases in muscle tissue

Slow would healing

Higher blood pressure

Increased abdominal fat

Increases in abdominal fat have been linked to several health-related problems such as heart attack, stroke, metabolic syndrome, unhealthy cholesterol levels and other health problems.

It is important to control one’s stress level to maintain good health. Ways that one can do that are to use different relaxation techniques and to exercise to reduce stress. Some people like to do Tai Chi, Yoga or other martial arts. Listening to music may help.

Others like to use humor to help relieve stress. They might try to enjoy funny movies, go to a comedy club or even watch a pet play. There are also different CDs and DVDs put out by comedians. Some people like to play games or talk to friends. Here are more coping skills.

Whatever you choose to do to relieve your stress level, reducing one’s level of abdominal fat is believed to be very important to one’s health.

There are two different types of abdominal fat. One type of fat is called subcutaneous fat. The second type of fat is visceral fat.

Some men and women have signs on their refrigerator that say something like, “ewe’s not fat, ewe’s fluffy.” The fluffy fat is subcutaneous fat. That fluffy fat is the fat that lies between the skin and the abdominal wall. In men, but not in women deeper layers of subcutaneous fat may be involved in insulin resistance.

The other type of abdominal fat, is visceral fat. When one has high levels of visceral fat the fat is located behind and around the abdominal cavity. Visceral fat is linked to type II diabetes, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease and other problems. In women it may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and gall bladder surgery.

Visceral fat is thought to be dangerous due to where it lies in the body. It can crowd body organs and possibly absorbs toxins due to the area that it lies in.

Taking steps to reduce abdominal fat and stress will pay big dividends. Exercise is thought to be the best way to reduce belly fat. Start small and then work to improve your health.


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