- Written By: Sheri Cyprus
- Edited By: Sara Z. Potter
-
Copyright Protected:
2003-2012 Conjecture Corporation
Visceral fat is different from other body fat. Visceral fat, also called intra-abdominal fat, refers to the fat that surrounds the internal organs. Subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, is body fat that is close to the skin's surface and is considered less dangerous, and easier to lose, than visceral fat.
Studies have shown that those with visceral fat are more susceptible to heart disease, stroke, diabetes and hypertension. Sedentary people, smokers and drinkers have been shown to have more intra-abdominal fat, or visceral fat, than active people who are non-smokers and non-drinkers. Stress may also be a factor in the storage of visceral fat on the body.
Visceral fat is harder to lose than subcutaneous fat because it is more deeply embedded in the body's tissues. Visceral fat is only measured accurately by an imaging machine that can see how much of the abdomen is made up of visceral fat. A person may be within a healthy weight range, but still have too much intra-abdominal fat around the internal organs.
The liver metabolizes visceral fat and releases it into the bloodstream as cholesterol. Harmful, or "bad" cholesterol, which is Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), builds up into a plaque that blocks the arteries. Losing weight through proper diet and effective exercise can help reduce visceral fat. How much fat a person eats does matter as studies have shown that those who eat 30% or more of their diets as fat usually have high amounts of visceral fat.
Walking is considered by many health and fitness experts to be a much better way of helping to control visceral fat than by doing exercises such as swimming where gravity keeps the body afloat. Walking at a fairly fast pace for a half an hour six days a week has been shown to help reduce visceral fat, while walking only three days a week has not been shown to have much affect on the reduction of visceral fat. However, doing no exercise at all has shown to increase the amount of visceral fat in the body.
Related Videos
Discuss this Article
|
LeonFS
Post 34 |
Thanks wise geek. I recently posted a blog about the different types of fat and this info came in handy. I made reference to it and linked to it. I love wise geek.
|
|
anon194351
Post 33 |
I have visceral fat and excercise has really helped in losing the fat. The problem is that I have a hard time excercising because of the inner fat surrounding my heart. I have severe pain and shortness of breath. One hour is impossible for me to excercise vigorously. Any suggestions? |
|
anon170762
Post 32 |
It is close minded to assert that long duration activity at moderate levels(cardiovascular endurance) at a certain percentage of mhr is the best way to tap into stored body fat (visceral and subcutaneous) because so many variables are involved. The zone you train in is one of them and time involved. Concerning the general public, interval training is usually prescribed for this reason. It is important to note that sub-maximal exercise does little in the way of maximizing results especially when dealing with "stubborn belly- fat" |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon142435
Post 29 |
I'm with Judy - try the RVL program. It's got a supplement that targets visceral fat. I wouldn't have believed it if it wasn't working for me personally. |
|
judyhughes
Post 27 |
I have added RVL a meal replacement and supplement to my exercise routine, and have amazing results with eliminating visceral fat! |
|
anon98557
Post 24 |
There is a machine that you hold in your hand and it measures the percentage of visceral fats on your body. |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon93281
Post 23 |
The visceral fat for men is supposed to be four, and up to eight is allowed. If it is more than that, it's high time to concentrate on your health. get the help of your nutritionist. |
|
anon86198
Post 22 |
I,m a 59 year old male who has always been active. With age comes problems, and mine is stenosis. It is a lot more difficult not being able to exercise to stay in shape. I have always eaten what I wanted and kept my weight down. My problem is trying to learn how to adjust what I eat and how much I eat to lose the weight I do not need. Maybe some motivational advice is what I need! kcaz |
|
anon82721
Post 21 |
I am a 32 year old male and I have high visceral fat. The over all fat percentage is 14 percent and my subcutaneous fat is also less. I am 5'6" and my weight is 142 pounds. I do about 1 1/2 hours of workout every morning by playing badminton or squash or jogging. I eat very healthy food. I am a vegan and don't eat any junk food or processed or tinned food. Not even refrigerated food. My visceral fat still has not reduced. I measure it with a weighing machine that sends an electric signal through one foot and receives through the other foot. The visceral fat reading is 7.4 for the past one year. It has not reduced even with my healthy lifestyle. |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon71061
Post 20 |
Someone with a bad ankle asked about fitness machines, because walking was difficult. You can buy 'cross-trainers' for £100 (I would not pay less) which are good value for money. They are better than walking as there is no jarring on the joints. Three sessions of 10 -12 minutes per day would reduce fat and improve cardiovascular health. The only problem is boredom - listen to radio, work out mathematical problems in your head etc. Mine is four years old and has been excellent value.
|
|
anon50172
Post 18 |
anon32035,
Gravity does keep you afloat in water. It is gravity that holds the water down with enough force to cause your body, which has a lower density, to float. That sentence is written in a confusing manner, but nonetheless, it is true. Gravity does, in effect, keep your body afloat. Why this matters when it comes to visceral fat loss, I agree with your "ehhhh, mmmyeaah" because as long as you swim to get your heart rate up, it will not matter what medium you are performing that exercise in. Cheers. |
|
RedRock
Post 17 |
Thanks for the comments. Here's a more precise way to ask the question: Is there a technique that can reduce visceral fat itself, distinct from the conventional kind? A way that does not require much walking (bad ankle)? |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon41669
Post 16 |
"in order to burn any fat you need to increase your heart rate long enough for your body to dig into its glucose reserve (which is stored in fat)"
Glucose is stored as glycogen in the muscles. Your fat is just that: fat. |
|
anon40887
Post 15 |
FYI, the "Omron HBF-516 Full Body Composition Monitor and Scale" will measure this fat along with other things. |
|
anon34303
Post 14 |
Does anybody know what causes visceral fat? I have recently been told that I have untreated sub-clinical hypothyroidism, could this have anything to do with it? Comments please! |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon32086
Post 13 |
fat around abdomen is both visceral and subcutaneous. visceral is that which is deeper and surrounds organs. subcutaneous is the fat which is directly under and attached to the skin. yes doing longer bouts of aerobic exercise will burn more fat... the longer you maintain an elevated heart rate the better. stress doesn't cause fat. stress increases cortisol (a hormone) levels which slows down the metabolism. |
|
RedRock
Post 12 |
Dear anon32035 -- How can we properly thank you for your useful contribution to this forum... |
|
anon32035
Post 11 |
gravity keeps the body afloat? walking is better that swimming? ehhhh, mmmyeaah. |
| Related Topics | |
|
RedRock
Post 10 |
This article recommends walking briskly. Good idea, except that I have damaged ankles and can't do that. But I am an avid cyclist; what about that? And what about cardio machines in gyms for when the weather does not permit cycling? Thanks for looking into this. I'm used to being a fit person, but this layer of fat feels like a malign tumor of some kind. |
|
anon29191
Post 9 |
For those who worry about detecting a pot belly early on, this would mean that flexing the abs and "feeling" how much fat lies above them is not a good indicator of a growing belly, correct? Do we understand correctly that visceral fat develops *under* the muscle layer and therefore cannot be detected by this method? |
|
anon28473
Post 8 |
What percentage of visceral fat is good for our body? How much is better? |
| Related Topics | |
|
plakhapate
Post 7 |
How do you reduce visceral fat? |
|
justyna
Post 6 |
subcutaneous fat is all fat that is directly under and attached to the epithelial layer of the dermis (skin), therefore visceral fat is at one point subcutaneous fat and vice versa. in order to burn any fat you need to increase your heart rate long enough for your body to dig into its glucose reserve (which is stored in fat) thus aerobic exercise is key, but short bursts of high intensity won't be as effective as 30-60 mins of moderate activity on most days of the week... ie a brisk walk for 30minutes. with longer moderate exercise you are working on cardiovascular endurance which is very important for good health and longevity. |
|
anon19843
Post 5 |
From your article I assume that a more intensive aerobic exercise such as jumping rope, would reduce visceral fat at a faster rate. Is this correct ? |
| Related Topics | |
|
anon16946
Post 4 |
How can you tell if the fat around your abdomen is visceral fat or subcutaneous fat? I have a lot around my abdomen that I would like to lose. So far the exercising has been helping. |
|
anon12769
Post 3 |
If I may the legendary Root Boy slim,
"Dare to be fat ... fat is where its at ..." "having a ball with cholestorol ..." "come on y'all ... it don't matter at all..." |
|
AuthorSheriC
Post 2 |
Yes, stress seems to affect all health problems by making them worse. It shows how important it is not to become too stressed out! |
| Related Topics | |
|
breadcrumbs51
Post 1 |
I absolutely hate that stress can cause cause the worst kind of fat! Like those of us who are stressed need any more problems! And then that it is the hardest fat to lose too. Wow, if that's not advocating cutting down on stress, I don't know what is! |
