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The threats posed by belly fat can be reduced. If you eat too much and exercise too little, you're likely to carry excess weight — including belly fat. Also, your muscle mass might diminish slightly with age, while fat increases. Loss of muscle mass also decreases the rate at which your body uses calories, which can make it more challenging to maintain a healthy weight.
Many women also notice an increase in belly fat as they get older — even if they aren't gaining weight. This is likely due to a decreasing level of estrogen, which appears to influence where fat is distributed in the body.
The tendency to gain or carry weight around the waist — and have an "apple" rather than a "pear" shape — might have a genetic component as well. Subcutaneous fat is the belly fat you can feel if you pinch excess skin and tissue around your middle. Visceral fat is belly fat that accumulates in your abdomen in the spaces between your organs.
Too much visceral fat is strongly linked with a greater risk of serious health problems. The trouble with belly fat is that it's not limited to the extra layer of padding located just below the skin subcutaneous fat.
It also includes visceral fat — which lies deep inside your abdomen, surrounding your internal organs. Although subcutaneous fat poses cosmetic concerns, visceral fat is linked with far more dangerous health problems, including:.
Research also associates belly fat with an increased risk of premature death — regardless of overall weight. In fact, some studies have found that even when women were considered a normal weight based on standard body mass index BMI measurements, a large waistline increased the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease.
For women, a waist measurement of more than 35 inches 89 centimeters indicates an unhealthy concentration of belly fat and a greater risk of health problems. You can tone abdominal muscles with crunches or other targeted abdominal exercises, but just doing these exercises won't get rid of belly fat. However, visceral fat responds to the same diet and exercise strategies that help you shed excess pounds and lower your total body fat.
To battle belly fat:. Include physical activity in your daily routine. For most healthy adults, the Department of Health and Human Services recommends moderate aerobic activity, such as brisk walking, for at least minutes a week or vigorous aerobic activity, such as running, for at least 75 minutes a week. If you use a step counter, remember that it takes an average of 10, steps a day to prevent weight gain. Some studies indicate it might take 15, steps a day to prevent the regain of weight after significant weight loss.
Strength training exercises also are recommended at least twice a week. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you might need to exercise more. Did you know that keeping a food diary is one of the most effective ways to manage your weight? Download the MyPlate app to easily track calories, stay focused and achieve your goals!
The reason why your belly fat is hard or soft comes down to the two types of fat in your abdomen — here's what to know about each. So, why is your stomach fat hard?
Kristi Veltkamp, RDN , a dietitian with Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, says that hard fat — which is also called abdominal or visceral fat — is located deep inside your abdomen around your organs, where you can't see it. It makes up about 10 percent of the fat in your body, per Harvard Health Publishing. However, visceral fat isn't actually hard — its location behind the stomach muscles means that the more visceral fat you accumulate, the more it will push your abdominal wall out.
The abdominal wall is made up of more rigid tissue, so the protruding stomach will look and feel hard even though the fat behind it is actually soft. And even if you don't have visible overweight, you can still carry high levels of visceral fat, Veltkamp says. Visceral fat is the more dangerous of the two types of fat because it's linked to metabolic disturbances, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and breast cancer, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
On the other hand, soft, subcutaneous fat is stored just underneath the skin in areas like the abdomen, hips and arms — it's the kind of squishy belly fat you can pinch, according to Harvard Health Publishing. About 90 percent of the fat in your body is subcutaneous, per Harvard Health Publishing. Ironically, people tend to worry more about subcutaneous fat because you can see it, even though visceral fat is more dangerous, Hermann says. In fact, as long as you don't have excess subcutaneous fat, a moderate amount of it is normal and supports your overall wellbeing.
For instance, your body uses subcutaneous fat to store energy, protect your muscles and bones and help regulate your body temperature, Herrmann says. Subcutaneous fat also produces beneficial molecules like the hormone leptin , which sends signals to the brain to help you feel full and regulate energy balance, per the Hormone Health Network. In other words, leptin helps you maintain your weight. It may also help prevent cholesterol buildup in the arteries.
While some amount of subcutaneous fat is beneficial, too much of it can potentially lead to health problems. In addition to the pinch test, you can get an idea of whether the fat you carry around your belly is subcutaneous or visceral by measuring your waist circumference with a tape measure. You can also get more granular by comparing your waist circumference to your body mass index BMI. MRI or CT scans can measure visceral fat for you, too, though these are typically costly and time-consuming procedures, according to Harvard Health Publishing.
You can also use handheld electrical impedance devices to measure subcutaneous fat, White says. While visceral fat is the more dangerous type of fat, too much subcutaneous fat can also effect your wellbeing. Here are the health risks of carrying too much belly fat. Though some subcutaneous fat is necessary to help your body function at its best, it isn't beneficial if you're carrying it in excess.
Remember that this fat produces leptin, which, in standard doses, helps promote satiety. But having too much of that hormone in your blood — which can occur when you have obesity — can lead to leptin resistance, according to the Hormone Health Network.
This is when your body becomes less sensitive to the hormone and thus can't effectively signal when you're full, which can lead to overeating. Too much soft belly fat can also take a toll on your heart. And visceral fat has its own heart health risks. For instance, it releases free fatty acids into the blood and liver, which can contribute to high cholesterol , according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Visceral fat also produces hormones and other substances that can cause inflammation, high blood pressure and get in the way of blood vessel function, all of which can put you at higher risk for heart disease, per Harvard Health Publishing.
Having a high amount of visceral fat is also linked to insulin resistance , which can cause glucose intolerance and type 2 diabetes , according to Harvard Health Publishing.
Excess visceral fat can also raise your risk for breast cancer , according to Harvard Health Publishing. The same goes for colorectal cancer, per the American Cancer Society.
There seems to be a brain connection, too. Some research speculates this is because visceral fat is linked to a reduced amount of growth hormone , which is necessary for bone growth and health.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the amount and type of belly fat you carry, including:. Get helpful tips and guidance for everything from fighting inflammation to finding the best diets for weight loss Stay on top of latest health news from Harvard Medical School.
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