Love Handles May Be Dangerous

Having a belly may sound pretty harmless

A study done in America shows that women of Black and Hispanic origin in their twenties have a greater tendency to accumulate fat around their stomachs when compared to Black and Hispanic men and older women.

The research which was undertaken at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina noted that the women tended to have larger amounts of both visceral adipose tissue which is a type of fat found on the stomach and around internal organs as well as the type of fat called subcutaneous abdominal tissue, which is the visible and pinchable fat which is often referred to as a ‘love handle’. Love handles also create the type of figure in women which is referred to as a ‘muffin top’.

Having a belly may sound pretty harmless and something not to be too concerned about but research shows that in some cases an excess of fat around the stomach can point to a buildup of the dangerous visceral fat which surrounds vital organs like the liver, heart, pancreas and kidneys. Higher levels of visceral fat are linked to higher rates of diabetes, heart attack and strokes and practically every single obesity related illness that there is.

The study which was led by Professor Kristen Hairston a specialist on metabolism was published in the medical journal Diabetes Care and could help doctors to identify sections of the population who are in particular danger from weight related complications. This research confirms that even if you appear to be reasonably slim on the outside you may in fact be overweight on the inside with large amounts of visceral fat around your organs.

Eating healthy should be primarily a health issues and not a cosmetic issue which it so often becomes.