Visceral fat has been linked to higher risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease.
Fortunately, there are strategies to help you lose visceral fat. Here are 11 simple ways to say goodbye to that incredibly harmful visceral fat.
What Is Visceral Fat?
Visceral fat is a type of body fat that is located near several vital organs, including the liver, intestines, and stomach. It is found inside your abdominal cavity.
Although it’s difficult to measure how much visceral fat you have, a large waist and bulging belly will show you have too much of it.
Carrying too much of this type of body fat is extremely harmful.
In fact, excess visceral fat has been shown in studies to be linked to a higher risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, certain cancers, and heart disease.
Why Is Visceral Fat Dangerous?
Fat cells produce hormones and inflammatory substances.
Visceral fat in particular produces more inflammatory markers, such as TNF-α, PAI-1, IL-6, and IL-1β, which increase the risk of chronic disease.
For example, long-lasting inflammation leads to the formation of plaque inside the arteries, which is a risk factor for heart disease.
Plaque is composed of cholesterol, calcium, fibrin, cellular waste products, and fatty substances. Over time, it can grow larger and rupture. This can cause a partial or complete blockage of blood flow, depriving the heart of oxygen and causing a heart attack.
1. Increase Protein Intake
Protein is absolutely effective for fat loss.
Eating more protein increases the levels of the fullness hormones PYY, GLP-1, and cholecystokinin, thus reducing hunger and cravings.
Protein has been shown in studies to help boost metabolism, thereby promoting visceral fat loss and weight loss.
In addition, people who increase their protein intake have been shown in many studies to carry less visceral fat.
Moreover, higher protein intake has been shown in a study in 23,876 adults to be associated with a smaller waist circumference, higher “good” HDL cholesterol, and lower body mass index.
Therefore, adding a few excellent sources of protein every meal is a good idea. Protein sources include eggs, fish, meat, legumes, dairy, and whey protein.
2. Experiment with a Low-Carb Diet
Low-carb diets are excellent at getting rid of visceral fat.
In fact, they have been shown in many studies to be more effective at reducing visceral fat, as compared with low-fat diets.
For example, people who followed a low-carb diet have been shown in an 8-week study to lose 10% more visceral fat and 4.4% more total fat as compared with those who followed a low-fat diet.
In addition, the ketogenic (keto) diet, which is a low-carb diet, has been found to help get rid of visceral fat.
Drastically reducing your carb intake puts your body into a natural metabolic state called ketosis.
What’s more, people who followed a keto diet have been found in a study including 28 overweight and obese adults to lose more fat, especially visceral fat, as compared with those following a low-fat diet.
3. Consume More Soluble Fiber
Soluble fiber mixes with water to form a viscous gel-like substance, which helps slow down stomach emptying.
In addition, this type of fiber suppresses your appetite, which may help reduce visceral fat.
For instance, people who increased their intake of soluble fiber by 10 grams every day have been found in a study in 1, 114 people to reduce their risk of visceral fat gain by up to 3.7%.
Excellent fiber sources include grains, sweet potatoes, legumes, and flaxseeds, or you can take a supplement.
4. Cut Back on Added Sugar
Added sugar provides no vitamins or minerals.
Consuming too much of it can sabotage your weight loss efforts.
In fact, people who consume more added sugar have been shown in studies to have more visceral fat.
Added sugar holds about 50% fructose, which, in large amounts, can get turned into fat by the liver, thereby increasing visceral fat storage.
You surely don’t want that to happen, so make sure to limit your consumption of added sugar. To do so, eat more whole foods, such as lean meats, fish, and fresh fruits and vegetables.
5. Limit Alcohol Consumption
Drinking a moderate amount of alcohol can be beneficial to your health. However, overconsumption of alcohol is harmful not only to your health but also to your waistline.
In fact, drinking too much alcohol has been shown in several studies to encourage fat to be stored as visceral fat.
In addition, people who drank the most alcohol have been found in a study in 8, 603 Korean adults to have the largest waist circumference – a marker of visceral fat.
What’s more, moderate alcohol intake has also been linked to more visceral fat.
However, further research is necessary to clarify the link between alcohol intake and visceral fat, as only a few studies exist on this topic.
6. Take Probiotics
Probiotics are beneficial to your gut and digestive health. These live bacteria are found in foods like sauerkraut, kefir, natto, and yogurt, as well as in supplements.
Certain probiotics have been suggested in some studies to help you lose visceral fat and weight.
Additionally, probiotics may help increase levels of ANGPTL4, a protein that may help reduce fat storage, and GLP-1, a fullness hormone.
Certain probiotic bacteria from the Lactobacillus family, including Lactobacillus gasseri, have been shown in studies to help you lose visceral fat
For example, people who took Lactobacillus gasseri have been found in a study in 210 healthy Japanese adults to lose 8.5% visceral fat. However, they regained all the visceral fat back within a month when they stopped taking the probiotic.
Further research is however necessary to clarify the link between probiotic bacteria and visceral fat, as not all studies point to the same direction. In fact, certain strains of probiotics like Lactobacillus acidophilus have been shown in some studies to cause weight gain.
7. Try Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is known for its weight loss effects.
This isn’t a diet, but rather an eating pattern that involves cycling between fasting and eating periods.
This eating pattern is basically not about the foods you eat, but rather when you should eat them. This will generally make you consume fewer calories throughout the day.
Intermittent fasting has been shown in studies to help you lose visceral fat.
In fact, following intermittent fasting has been found in a large review of studies to help reduce visceral fat by 4–7% over a 6- to 24-week period.
8. Ditch Trans Fat
Created by pumping hydrogen into vegetable oils, trans fats are no doubt unhealthy.
This artificial type of fat has a longer shelf life. They do not spoil quickly, that is why they are added to potato chips, baked goods, and other processed foods.
Trans fats have been shown in studies to cause numerous health problems and increase visceral fat.
For example, monkeys on a trans fat diet have been shown in a six-year study to gain 33% more visceral fat.
9. Do Aerobic Exercise
Aerobic exercise, or cardio, is another great way to say goodbye to that extremely harmful visceral fat. It helps you burn a lot of calories.
In fact, it has been shown in many studies to help you lose visceral fat even without dieting.
For example, moderate and high-intensity aerobic exercises have been found in an analysis of 15 studies in 852 people to be the most effective strategy to reduce visceral fat without dieting.
Regular aerobic exercise, combined with a healthy diet, is even more effective at losing visceral fat than doing aerobic exercise alone.
To get started, you can try walking or jogging at least twice or thrice a week.
10. Get Quality Sleep
Having a good night’s sleep is beneficial to your overall health.
Sleep deprivation has been shown in studies to increase your risk of visceral fat gain, but quality sleep reduces it.
For example, sleeping for at least 7–8 hours has been shown in a six-year study including 293 people to help reduce visceral fat gain by roughly 26%.
If you’re struggling with sleep, try practicing good sleeping habits, like establishing a regular sleep schedule or setting up a good sleep environment, or take a magnesium supplement.
11. Practice Stress Management
Stress and anxiety are common problems that many people are dealing with.
With stress and anxiety come increased levels of cortisol.
Excess cortisol has been shown in studies to increase visceral fat storage.
Plus, chronic stress can cause overeating to some people, and may even worsen visceral fat.
To manage stress, you can try exercising, yoga, meditation, or socializing with friends and family.
The Takeaway
Visceral fat is a type of fat that is extremely harmful. It increases your risk of chronic diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers.
Fortunately, there are simple ways to help you get rid of visceral fat. Some of these include increasing protein and fiber intake, doing aerobic exercise, cutting back on added sugar, and managing stress.
These simple strategies help you to not only lose visceral fat but also improve your overall health.
