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Visceral fat is the norm in men and women

Visceral fat, or fat commonly found in the abdominal area, is a normal and natural occurrence in both men and women. It can bring significant health benefits such as a reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes, and other illnesses, a healthier metabolism, and a greater number of fat-burning hormones. Visceral fat also helps to protect our internal organs, keeps us warm, and can even be used as a source of fuel during times of physical activity. Despite its numerous advantages, it should still be managed carefully, as having too much of it can be dangerous.

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Many people want to find a toned, slender body, and try to get rid of unnecessary weight in every possible way. Not everyone realizes that obesity is not a problem of appearance, but of healthy functioning of the body, and internal fat is much more harmful than visible subcutaneous fat. Learn how to burn body fat.

What is visceral fat?

The human body needs subcutaneous fat – this is a reserve of vital energy and protection from the cold. Daily nutrition replenishes fat reserves, but when their amount exceeds the norm, fat begins to be deposited not under the skin, but around the organs. Human internal fat is located in the abdominal cavity near vital organs (lungs, liver, heart, stomach, kidneys). It is called visceral.

Excess abdominal fat can occur due to the use of high-calorie foods, lack of physical activity, the presence of addictions. To determine the excess concentration of internal fat is simple – an external sign is a visually protruding stomach. The increase in waist circumference is especially noticeable against the background of other parts of the body that have retained their previous proportions.

What is the danger of visceral fat?

If the amount of internal fatty deposits does not exceed the permissible level, they serve to protect organs from external damage, as a “heater” and as a reserve source of energy. Excess fat inside the abdomen is dangerous for health and can trigger the development of a number of diseases:

  • increased cholesterol, which causes a disorder of the cardiovascular system;
  • Alzheimer’s disease;
  • elevated blood insulin levels can cause cancer (breast, colon cancer);
  • hormonal complications entailing metabolic disorders;
  • the development of atherosclerosis;
  • fatty hepatosis (liver disease);
  • phlebeurysm.

A man measures with a centimeter the volume of the abdomen

The rate of visceral fat

A healthy ratio of subcutaneous to internal fat deposits is approximately 90% to 10%. The rate of visceral fat is 10% of the total mass of the entire body fat. Normal abdominal fat for men and girls is slightly different. There are several ways to diagnose the percentage of internal obesity:

  • nuclear magnetic resonance techniques or computed tomography;
  • caliper – a device that measures the thickness of the fat folds;
  • determining the waist volume in centimeters with a measuring tape;
  • calculating the coefficient of the proportional ratio of the circumference of the waist to the circumference of the hips;
  • consult a doctor for a thorough diagnosis.

The norm of visceral fat in the body of a woman

Women are less prone to the formation of body fat within the abdominal cavity than men. The owners of a pear-shaped physique, with a thin waist and lush hips, were especially lucky – they are practically not prone to the formation of internal fatty deposits. When measuring the waist, a critical indicator for girls is 88 cm, a value below this figure is the norm of internal fat in the woman’s body, and above is already an excess.

The rate of visceral fat in men

Although men are less likely to form cellulite than girls, they are more likely to accumulate internal fat. Male hormones cease to struggle with the fatty layer, and the organs of the abdominal cavity are overgrown with it. The norm of visceral fat in men is a waist circumference of no more than 94 cm. Exceeding this norm, indicators indicate obesity and serious health problems.

A man measures the percentage of fat with a caliper

Visceral obesity

With visceral obesity, the internal organs cannot function normally, since the fat envelope near them increases significantly. A person constantly feels tired, it becomes difficult to breathe, increased sweating, frequent mood swings are observed. With internal obesity, the risk of diabetes and cancer increases significantly. The main causes of visceral obesity are:

  1. Unbalanced diet – the number of carbohydrates in the diet significantly increases the number of proteins.
  2. Sedentary lifestyle – lack of proper load in the form of outdoor activities, complex physical exercises, walking.
  3. Genetic predisposition – if parents suffer from fullness, the risk of internal obesity in children increases.

Visceral obesity in men

Fat deposits in men tend to accumulate around the internal organs, and not under the skin. Often, men who love beer have a bulging stomach – this is quite reasonable, since beer is an enemy of male hormone. Testosterone, as a result of visceral obesity in men, is replaced by female hormones, which can lead to sexual impotence and infertility.

Visceral obesity in women

After forty years, the production of female hormones decreases, metabolic processes slow down, and the likelihood of visceral obesity in women increases significantly. Internal obesity in young girls is one of the causes of infertility. When the genitals inside the abdomen are covered with fat, it is almost impossible to get pregnant. Women with an apple-like figure should immediately struggle with the first signs of excess weight, because they are more prone to internal obesity than girls with other body types.

Woman putting on jeans

How to remove visceral fat

When wondering how to remove internal fat, people forget about the well-known rules for losing weight. If you want to remove visceral fat from the abdomen, find a beautiful healthy body and look attractive, you should adhere to such basic principles:

  • You need to eat right, abandoning high-calorie foods and “fast” diets, so that excess weight begins to disappear. The diet should be balanced – proteins prevail, complex carbohydrates should be consumed in the morning.
  • Be sure to regularly engage in sports, walk, run, actively relax. Exercise – the main weapon in losing weight.
  • You should fight bad habits – smoking and alcohol will not let you lose weight, but only increase it.
  • It is necessary to normalize sleep and establish the daily regimen. It is recommended to sleep at least seven hours a day, fall asleep and get up daily at the same time.
  • To speed up the metabolism, it is supposed to drink a lot of water – 2 liters per day.
  • It is advisable to avoid stress, reduce nervous tension, relax more often.

Attention! The information presented in the article is for guidance only. Materials of the article do not call for self-treatment. Only a qualified doctor can make a diagnosis and give treatment recommendations based on the individual characteristics of a particular patient.

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Comments: 2
  1. Aspen

    Why is visceral fat considered the norm in both men and women?

    Reply
  2. William Marshall

    Is it true that visceral fat is considered normal in both men and women, or is the presence of visceral fat a cause for concern in terms of overall health and well-being?

    Reply
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