Visceral belly fat isn’t only just unsightly for cosmetic reasons, it is unhealthy and can lead to life-threatening diseases like stroke, heart disease and diabetes.
Here’s a diet that has been researched and proven to help reduce visceral belly fat if it is coupled with exercise!
The article: https://edition.cnn.com/2023/10/18/health/mediterranean-diet-exercise-study-wellness
Operative words: Plant-based diet and exercise!!
Excerpts:
Older people who followed a lower-calorie Mediterranean diet and minimally exercised up to six days a week gained muscle and lost a significant amount of body fat by the end of a year and kept much of it off for three years, according to a new study.
“This study demonstrates that a calorie-controlled Mediterranean diet plus exercise does not simply produce weight loss; it results in a redistribution of body composition from fat to muscle,” said Dr. David Katz, a specialist in preventive and lifestyle medicine, who was not involved in the study.
In addition to a loss of overall body fat, participants in the study lost dangerous visceral belly fat, which could lead to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
While the findings of the new study are “no surprise,” they extend the benefits of diet and exercise “from mere weight loss to the mobilization of harmful, visceral fat,” said Katz, president and founder of the nonprofit True Health Initiative, a global coalition of experts dedicated to evidence-based lifestyle medicine.
Visceral fat cannot be seen. It lies behind stomach muscles, surrounding organs deep within the abdomen. If visceral fat is about 10% of your body’s total fat mass, that’s normal and healthy, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Too much visceral fat, however, can create inflammation, contributing to chronic disease.
“This study confirms that we can profoundly change our metabolic status,” said leading nutrition researcher Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Mediterranean diet
Studies have found the award-winning Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk for diabetes, high cholesterol, dementia, memory loss, depression and breast cancer. The diet, which is more of an eating style than a restricted diet, has also been linked to stronger bones, a healthier heart and longer life.
The diet features simple, plant-based cooking, with the majority of each meal focused on fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans and seeds, with a few nuts and a heavy emphasis on extra-virgin olive oil. Fats other than olive oil, such as butter, are consumed rarely, if at all, and sugar and refined foods are reserved for special occasions.
Red meat is used sparingly, usually only to flavor a dish. Eating healthy, oily fish, which are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, is encouraged, while eggs, dairy and poultry are eaten in much smaller portions than in the traditional Western diet.
Social interactions during meals and exercise are basic cornerstones of the Mediterranean style of eating. Lifestyle changes that are part of the diet include eating with friends and family, socializing over meals, mindfully eating favorite foods, as well as mindful movement and exercise.