Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning
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Visceral fat is harmful because it releases toxic chemicals into the bloodstream, which severely compromises heart health. The condition is largely understood as a result of a sedentary lifestyle and hormonal imbalances. Fortunately, making some dietary adjustments could help reduce visceral fat. One drink has been shown to boost fat shedding “significantly” in just eight weeks.
The study, led by scientists at the China Medical University in Taiwan, asked 25 healthy women, aged 20 to 30, to drink a glass of tomato juice every day.
The young females had a body mass index lower or equal to 20, which is considered healthy.
The NHS defined body mass index as the measure that uses height and weight to work out whether your weight is healthy.
Participants were asked to continue with their normal diet and exercise routine, but received an additional 280 mL of tomato juice daily over a period of two months.
READ MORE: Visceral fat: The snack shown to increase abdominal fat loss ‘by 81%’ – consume regularly
After a follow-up period of two months, the team observed an average decline in waist measurements of two-thirds of an inch, with some losing more than a pound in fat.
In fact, significant reductions were observed in body weight, body fat and weight circumference.
The report, published in the Journal Nutrition, also showed that cholesterol levels dropped by about 10 percent at the end of the study.
They noted: “These results show that daily tomato juice supplementation reduces waist circumference, as well as serum cholesterol […] levels in young healthy women and that these effects are unrelated to body fat changes.”
The researchers put these promising effects down to lycopene, a phytochemical shown to protect against metabolic disease.
The antioxidant, which gives many red fruits their colour, was shown to slash the risk of heart disease by a quarter in one 2013 study.
The molecule has also been found useful in delivering a host of health benefits, including sun protection, improved heart health and lowering the risk of certain types of cancer.
Although it can be taken as a supplement, it is most effective when sourced from food.
Other ways to lose visceral fat:
The most crucial measure to help rid the body of abdominal fat is regular exercise, with health bodies recommending at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity most days.
Other lines of research have highlighted the important role of calcium and vitamin D in visceral fat storage.
Research has suggested that foods packed with either nutrient – such as tofu, sardines, yoghurt cheese and milk – could be linked to less abdominal fat.
Products sweetened with sugar are also notorious for encouraging belly fat deposition, and should therefore be avoided.
But alongside these dietary adjustments, getting the right amount of sleep could also help stave off visceral fat storage, according to some studies.
Harvard Health noted: “A five-year study found that adults under age 40 who slept five hours or less a night accumulated significantly more visceral fat.
“But too much isn’t good, either – young adults who slept more than eight hours also added visceral fat.”
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