Table of Contents
As the years go by, it is common experience for many women and men to accumulate fat in particular in the abdomen, an anatomical area where it is very difficult to lose a few centimeters.
The causes? They are food and hormonal: just think of how the female body changes with the menopause. But if there are natural conditions that cannot be avoided, through a reasoned choice of the foods we bring to the table, we can say goodbye to centimeters of excess fat.
Visceral fat
“Under the skin of the abdomen – explains the prof. Pier Luigi Rossi, specialist in nutrition sciences and preventive medicine in Arezzo – there is a layer of subcutaneous fat, then there are the abdominal muscles and finally there is the abdominal cavity, in which the viscera, intestines, liver are located, the pancreas and other organs. The visceral fat“.
A type of fat potentially harmful to health because, in addition to putting the cardiovascular system at risk and predisposing to type 2 diabetes mellitus, is composed of voluminous adipocytes responsible for the secretion of cytokines, the same inflammatory proteins that we learned about during the Coronavirus health emergency, harmful to health.
“These lipid and inflammatory molecules – underlines prof. Pier Luigi Rossi – are drained by the lymphatic system abdominal to be conveyed to the thoracic duct, which carries the fat in the venous blood. In conditions of insufficient metabolic drainage of the lymphatic system, however, conditions are created difficult to remove of the adipose mass from visceral fat, which increases in mass and thus contributes to the expansion of the abdominal circumference, belly“.
“Visceral fat is also one of the factors responsible for the appearance of hepatic steatosis and the state of insulin resistance which can lead to a distinct difficulty in losing fat and body weight ”, warns the expert.
“Another disadvantage of having fat in the abdomen is that it goes hand in hand with a reduction in lean muscle mass. And right in the muscles there are i mitochondria, small but very active organelles, which have the function of ‘burning’ the saturated fatty acids inside them. With the reduction of muscle mass, therefore, the number of mitochondria also becomes smaller and a progressive accumulation of fat, with weight gain. A real vicious circle is created. Losing weight becomes difficult and that is why the belly does not shrink “.
What to eat to lose weight on the stomach
To reduce the presence of fat visceral excess it is necessary to favor the functionality of the adipose tissue: “If the abdominal and subcutaneous adipose tissue is inflamed due to the presence of cytokines given by the enlarged adipocytes – says prof. Pier Luigi Rossi – oxygen decreases, the connective tissue is altered and it is difficult to lose fat “.
The ideal diet provides an ovo-peach-vegetable diet. “Vital and essential – explains the doctor – is the reduction of the load of food containing saturated fatty acids (cheeses, cured meats, foods of animal origin, with the exception of fish and eggs) and glycemic carbohydrates, but without completely abolishing them. Well i Whole grains and legumes (better lentils and chickpeas) and oil seeds rich in precious fatty acids Omega 3; no, however, to foods made with flour such as bread and pasta. It is also important to take the right amount of fiber, capable of bringing great benefits to intestinal hygiene and well-being and reducing the glycemic index of the meal, contributing to weight loss “.
Finally, it is essential to drink at least 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day, without naturally neglecting physical activity. “In particular – concludes prof. Pier Luigi Rossi – that one aerobics, but also of resistance, through the use of rubber bands and resistances, to increase lean muscle mass in the arms and trunk and have more mitochondria to ‘burn’ fat ”.
Read also
