The team found that sleep deprivation led to an increase in total abdominal fat volume by 9% and visceral fat by 11%. Visceral fat is accumulated deep in the abdomen around the internal organs and is associated with heart disease and metabolic disorders. Lack of sleep is becoming a common problem partly due to the nature of shift work, partly due to spending too much time on electronic devices and social networks. In addition, the tendency to eat without control and lack of time to be physically active also reduces sleep quality, causing prolonged sleep deprivation.
To reduce visceral fat, the expert group recommends that people with sleep problems and lack of sleep should increase exercise and eat healthy foods.
2. Snacking too much
Snacks containing a lot of starch and sugar such as cookies, cakes, carbonated drinks… cause visceral fat to accumulate very quickly. When you eat these foods, your body will release the pleasure hormones dopamine and serotonin, making you feel good. That’s why when stressed, many people turn to sweet foods to relieve their emotions. However, these are the hormones that are involved in addictive behavior. If you eat too many sweets, your blood sugar will rise, the liver will convert this excess sugar into fat and store it around the liver and other internal organs in the abdomen.
If you cannot give up the habit of snacking, you should choose healthy foods such as cereals, low-sugar fruits, nuts… to avoid visceral fat accumulation.
3. Lazy to exercise
Inactivity is one of the major risk factors for increased visceral fat accumulation. A study published in the Journal of Nutrients showed that exercise can help reduce visceral fat even when weight remains unchanged. A situation where calories intake is greater than calories burned over a long period of time, leading to accumulation of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Regular exercise will help you release excess energy, limit fat storage. Not to mention, when exercising, a large amount of excess calories from protein- and nutrient-rich foods will be used to repair damaged muscle tissue, both to help burn excess fat, and to help strengthen muscles.
4. Prolonged stress
When you’re under extreme stress for whatever reason, your body releases the hormone cortisol. This hormone causes fat to be distributed mainly around the visceral organs in the abdomen. Many studies have demonstrated a relationship between stress, increased cortisol secretion and increased visceral fat accumulation. Accordingly, people who often have high levels of the hormone cortisol are also often those who have a lot of belly fat and visceral fat. This is because cortisol increases visceral fat accumulation, and excess visceral fat tends to increase cortisol secretion, thereby creating a negative health spiral.
Releasing stress is extremely necessary to ensure health as well as waist measurement. Health experts suggest some activities to help relieve stress such as listening to music, reading, meditating, practicing yoga or participating in social activities, traveling with friends and relatives…
Vienna (According to Eat This, Not That! )
