muscles. Subcutaneous fat contributes to
inflammation and cardiovascular disease.
Visceral fat actually plays an important
role in our immune system, says Steven
MYTH:
Doing sit-ups
can reduce
abdominal fat.
FACT: Abdominal exercises, such as
sit-ups, are a great way to strengthen
your abdominal muscles, but they don’t
do a thing to get rid of the fat on top or
underneath them. Daily cardiovascular
exercise, such as brisk walking, biking, or
taking an aerobics class, helps burn belly fat.
Heymsfield, M.D., executive director of
clinical sciences at the pharmaceutical
company Merck and former deputy director
of the New York Obesity Research Center
at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital. Visceral fat
is filled with white blood cells that mop up
microbes and other toxic substances that
may escape through the intestinal wall.
But too much visceral fat secretes
inflammatory chemicals—much more
than fat cells found in other parts of your
body. Inflammation is what researchers
believe leads to chronic diseases, such as
heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.
Excessive visceral fat also dumps a lot of
free fatty acids into the bloodstream, which
carries them directly to the liver. Chronic
overflow of fat to the liver results in high
cholesterol, high triglycerides, and insulin
resistance. Also, excess visceral fat has been
linked to fat accumulating around organs
such as the heart and liver, which impairs
their ability to function well, Simon says.
Beat Stronger. Live Longer.
Stress plays a role
Your genes influence where your body
decides to store extra fat. Even if you are
genetically inclined to store fat around your
waist, you are not doomed to end up looking
like your portly Aunt Ida. Research and
common sense tell us that behaviors such as
smoking, drinking alcohol, and being a couch
potato lead to less healthy lifestyles, which
often lead to a big stomach. If you manage
your calorie intake and engage in daily
exercise, you will still have Aunt Ida’s blue
eyes—but not her waist.
Chronic stress also may play a role. When
your body is stressed, it produces cortisol,
a hormone that places your body on alert.
Research suggests that this hormone can
lead to an increase in belly fat in adults and
children. “Stress is also linked to behaviors
such as increased eating, drinking, and
28
EXPERTS
Women ages 45–54 are three times more likely than men that age to have a stroke, and
belly fat appears to be the reason why, says Amytis Towfighi, M.D., assistant professor of
neurology at the University of Southern California. It raises cholesterol and blood pressure.
