HEALTH RISKS
- We all know that obesity and fat lead to problems with your health, but what you may not know is that belly fat is one of the more dangerous types of fat. What happens is that people who have an exess of belly fat tend to store fat in their abdominals, which gathers around vital organs. This type of fat is referred to as intra-abdominal fat and is linked to high insulin, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many others.
- DIABETES RISK - If you are on a low-fat diet, then it will be beneficial to do ab crunches. However, if you have the attitude that you can eat what ever you want during the day and then in the evening you feel you can work off the food by doing a couple hundred crunches, I have some news for you. If your fat intake is high, you can do a thousand crunches and you will not see good results. It is actually possible that your stomach will get bigger because you are building fat on top of your muscles. Your diet is the most important aspect of weight loss.
- BREAST CANCER RISK - Overweight women (particularly in the stomach area) have higher estrogen levels. Breast cancer stems from too much estrogen in the body. Research has found links between breast cancer and stomach fat. In addition, belly fat also increases insulin levels which is also linked to breast cancer.
- HEART DISEASE RISK - 50%...that is how much your stomach fat can raise your blood cholesterol. Women with an excess of belly fat are twice as likely to have a heart attack than women who have a slimmer mid section. Your liver turns more blood sugar into fat, which enters your blood and deposits fatty cells in your stomach and abdomen. As a result, your (bad) cholesterol rises which increases your risk of a heart attack.
- VARICOSE VEINS - Too much belly fat can make it difficult for blood to travel through your veins (weighs them down). Preventing blood from flowing backwards is one of the jobs that veins have, so if veins become weak, blood can seep back in and clog the veins. Many overweight people develop varicose veins as a result.
