Health & Nutrition
What You Can't See - Body Fat
Excess body fat, no matter where it is on the body, is bad. But the
worst place to have fat is deep inside the body and surrounding vital
organs, such as liver and kidneys. This is called intra-abdominal or
visceral fat. Excess intra-abdominal fat increases the risk of
cardiovascular disease and diabetes and can raise insulin levels,
which promote the growth of cancer cells. Postmenopausal women are
particularly prone to store this type fat.
Visceral obesity is not necessarily linked to body shape, although
“apple shaped” people with more body fat on the upper body and around
the abdomen are more at risk for serious illness than “pear shaped”
individuals who carry excess fat on the lower body, buttocks and
thighs. People who have high levels of intra-abdominal fat may not
even know it because the only accurate way to measure it is with
expensive imaging procedures such as CT or MRI scans.
Many American women gain a pound or two each year after menopause,
which increases health risks over a lifetime. But the good news is
even if a woman exercises regularly and doesn’t see a dramatic weight
loss on her scales; she can feel confident that she is improving her
health. A study published in the January 15, 2003 edition of the
Journal of the American Medical Association provides evidence that
moderate exercise can reduce intra-abdominal fat with no caloric
restriction. The year-long study involved 173 previously sedentary,
overweight, post-menopausal women. Half of the group was randomly
assigned to a moderate-intensity, aerobic-exercise group, and half,
who served as control group, attended a weekly hour-long stretching
class. The exercise group lost between 3.4 percent and 6.9 percent
intra-abdominal fat while the stretching group experienced a slight
gain in intra-abdominal fat.
The great thing about exercise as a way to reduce total and
intra-abdominal fat is that it can be done by most women at a low cost
with low risk of side effects. The majority of the women in the study
exercised by simply walking or bicycling - even on an indoor
stationary bike. It’s never too late to enjoy the benefits of exercise
and lower the risk of chronic disease.
Also see our fact sheets on Diabetes
and Hypertension.
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