Visceral Fats

Visceral fat! What is it and what is it caused by? Why is a high visceral fat level dangerous? How can we lower our visceral fat level? Our bodies contain 2 types of stored fats, visceral fats and subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is the fat that lies just under our layer of skin, whereas visceral fat is the fat that lies around our organs and our abdominal cavity. Generally, it is caused by these main reasons.

* High intake of bad fats

* High stress levels

* Sleep deprivation

* Not enough resistance/weight training and cardio.

Now why is a high level of visceral fat dangerous? Our organs help our bodily functions do what they're meant to do, so if they're surrounded in high levels of unhealthy fat, they won't be able to do their functions to the best of their abilities. High levels of visceral fat can also result in increased insulin resistance, which may lead to glucose intolerance and even type 2 diabetes. Other Health risks of carrying excess visceral fat include:

* Heart attacks

* Heart disease

* Type 2 diabetes

* Raised blood pressure

* Stroke

* Breast and colorectal cancer

* Alzheimer's disease

Now we know what is it and the effects it can have on our body let's have a look at how we can lower our visceral fat levels.

* Exercise more - a balanced training regime including both weights and cardio.

* Eating 5-6 balanced meals per day. Specifically, why we choose to follow a macronutrient based eating plan here at vision.

* Eat more protein - protein helps boost our bodies metabolism which in turn will promote weight loss and visceral fat drop.

* Limit your added sugar intake

* Limit your alcohol intake

* Get plenty of sleep consistently

* Reduce your stress levels