What are the different types of belly fat?

Subcutaneous belly fat

is the fat that’s found under your skin

it is soft, and it’s the fat you see “jiggling” on your belly. In general, women have greater amounts of subcutaneous fat than men.

Visceral belly fat

s the fat that surrounds internal organs like your kidneys, liver, and pancreas.

Visceral fat is strongly linked to increased resistance to the hormone insulin.

It regulates our blood sugar levels.

Why belly fat may harm health

Having some belly fat is normal and necessary for good health but, having too much belly fat may harm your health and increase your disease risk.

Visceral fat is the type of belly fat that’s linked to health concerns.

Visceral fat is located near your portal vein, which carries blood from your gastrointestinal tract to your liver.

tips to lose belly fat:

• Cut out sugary beverages. Drinking too many sugary drinks like soda has been linked to increased visceral fat accumulation and a larger waist circumference. Try swapping sugary drinks with water or sparkling water .
• Get moving. Increasing physical activity may significantly reduce belly fat. Try mixing up your workouts, including high and low intensity aerobic activity, as well as resistance training, all of which have been shown to help reduce belly fat .
• Increase your fiber intake. People who follow high fiber diets tend to have less belly fat than those who don’t. Plus, transitioning to a high fiber diet may help you lose excess belly fat
• Cut back on ultra-processed foods. Studies show that frequently eating ultra-processed foods like snack foods, sweets, fast food, and refined grain products is linked to a greater waist circumference
• Limit alcohol use. Drinking too much alcohol may harm your overall health in a number of ways, including contributing to excessive accumulation of belly fat
• Don’t skimp on sleep. Poor sleep quality is associated with visceral fat accumulation. Plus, one review including over 56,000 people tied shorter sleep duration to a greater waist circumference
• Increase protein intake. Dietary patterns that are higher in protein may help promote belly fat loss. A review including 23,876 people linked higher protein diets to a smaller waist circumference
• Fill up on whole foods. Cutting back on ultra-processed foods and eating mostly whole, minimally processed foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans, and healthy sources of protein and fat may promote overall health and healthy belly fat levels