Key takeaways:
It’s normal — and even healthy — to have some belly fat.
But if you have a lot of belly fat, it can put you at risk for health conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
Losing weight can help reduce your belly fat and potentially decrease your risk of health problems.
Your body fatness is just one part of your overall health. Other things matter, too.
It’s totally normal to have fat around your belly. In fact, having some body fat can even be good for you. It keeps you warm, protects you from injuries, and can even provide your body with energy.
But having a lot of fat around your belly area can be hard on your health. As researchers learn more about the health risks associated with increased weight, it turns out waist size may be more important than the number on the scale. Let’s take a closer look at the different types of belly fat, what causes belly fat, and how it affects your health.
What is belly fat?
Simply put, belly fat is exactly what it sounds like: fat in your belly area. There are two main types of belly fat:
Subcutaneous fat: This is belly fat that lies just underneath your skin. You can feel it when you poke your stomach area with your finger. It wiggles and jiggles.
Visceral fat: This is belly fat that’s deep underneath your skin, nestled around the organs in your abdomen. Unlike subcutaneous fat, you can’t feel visceral fat with your hands. Visceral fat also plays a more “active” role in your body than subcutaneous fat, because it makes hormones and other molecules.
What causes belly fat — and why do we have it?
It’s hard to say what causes belly fat. We don’t know for sure why some people are bigger and others are slimmer. After all, many things affect how you gain and lose weight — including weight in your belly area.
Some factors that affect belly fat are things you’re born with, like:
Sex: Men tend to have more visceral fat than women, at least in younger populations. This difference starts to even out in later years, which brings us to the next point.
The aging process: Belly fat naturally increases with age, more so in women than in men. And many women gain belly fat during menopause.
Race and ethnicity: For example, Asians tend to have high amounts of visceral fat compared to others at similar weights. And African-Americans tend to have lower amounts.
Genetics: The more scientists study weight, the more they discover that it’s highly inheritable. Some research estimates that genetics probably account for up to 50% — or more — of someone’s weight and body fat distribution.
Other factors stem from your environment and lifestyle:
Childhood experiences: Research suggests that children who experience family dysfunction, neglect, or abuse are more likely to be diagnosed with obesity as an adult.
Socioeconomic circumstances: These can affect someone’s geographic and financial access to things like clean drinking water, nutritious food, and outdoor spaces for recreation.
Stress: Any source of stress can affect weight in multiple ways. For example, it can impact food choices as well as how the body stores fat.
Diet and exercise: As you can see from the factors above, a lot of things affect someone’s diet and exercise beyond the choices they make every day.
Cultural and social factors: Food plays an important role in cultural traditions and social gatherings. And different cultures pass down different expectations and norms around eating and body size.
Work patterns: Someone’s work schedule can have a big impact on factors that can contribute to weight gain — like sleep, time for cooking and exercise, and financial stress.
And, of course, other health conditions and medications can affect your weight as well. A few examples are medical conditions that:
Directly affect the way your body uses energy and stores fat, like diabetes or hypothyroidism
Can make it harder to exercise, like arthritis or depression
Increase cortisol levels in the body, like sleep deprivation or even infection. Steroids — used to treat many different conditions — can also increase cortisol levels.
Affect your gut microbiome, which researchers are learning includes a very broad spectrum of disease that goes well beyond intestinal disorders.
Can you prevent belly fat?
Yes and no. When it comes to gaining weight, there are some factors you can control — like what you eat and how much you exercise. Making changes in these areas might help prevent belly fat, especially as you get older.
But in reality, there are a lot of factors you can’t control when it comes to body weight. For example: If you’re South Asian, you may be more likely to have belly fat than someone who’s white. And overall, men seem to have more visceral fat than premenopausal women.
Is belly fat linked to health problems?
Yes, it can be. Remember: It’s totally normal to have some belly fat. But if you have too much, it can be hard on your health. This is why researchers are trying to change the way we define obesity to include waist size — not just body mass index (BMI).
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A large waist size is linked to many health problems, including:
Joint pain and back pain
When it comes to your long-term health, your waist size might matter even more than your BMI. For example, your BMI may be “normal” — and not in the range of overweight or obese. But if your waist size is large, you still have a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
How do I measure my waist size?
To find your waist size, take a tape measure or string and measure all the way around your waist (detailed instructions here).
A large waist size is:
More than 40 inches (102 cm) in men
More than 35 inches (88 cm) in women
Just like BMI, these measurements don’t apply to everyone. For example, if you’re South Asian, Japanese, or Chinese, your diabetes risk goes up if your waist size is:
More than 35.4 inches (90 cm) in men
More than 30.5 inches (80 cm) in women
How do you lose belly fat?
The best way to get rid of belly fat is to lose weight. Unfortunately, you can’t target weight loss in just your belly area — that’s a myth.
In general, things that can help you lose weight include:
Focusing on nutritious foods
Being more physically active
Drinking water
Cutting down on sugary drinks
Eating more fiber
Getting enough good-quality sleep at night
Managing stress
The good news is these changes can benefit your health in many ways — beyond just your body shape and size.
But keep in mind: It can still be hard to lose weight, even if you make diet and lifestyle changes. If you’re having trouble meeting your goals, talk with a healthcare professional. They can discuss a reasonable weight-loss target with you. And they can advise you on other options if appropriate (like surgery, or weight-loss medications).
Frequently asked questions
There’s no quick way to lose belly fat. Changing your body shape and size takes time. For sustainable weight loss, you should aim to lose no more than 2 lbs a week. Anything faster than that and you’re likely losing water and muscle — not fat.
It’s possible. Drinking alcohol can cause weight gain. It does this by slowing down your metabolism and adding extra calories. And there’s some evidence that people who drink a lot of alcohol may be more likely to gain visceral abdominal fat compared to nondrinkers.
There aren’t any specific foods that burn belly fat. That’s a myth. But if you’re trying to change your overall body weight, eating nutritious foods can help. Specifically, aim for lean proteins, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. In particular, there’s some evidence that eating more protein and fiber and cutting back on refined carbohydrates can all help with weight loss.
It’s possible. During menopause, it’s common to experience weight gain, especially in the stomach area. There’s some evidence that menopausal hormone therapy (previously known as hormone replacement therapy) may help to prevent belly fat. More research is needed before we can say for sure.
If you’re trying to lose belly fat, there’s no specific exercise that will target that area. But the good news is that any movement routine that combines aerobic (cardio) exercise with strength training is helpful. Both types of exercise are important for fat loss.
Interestingly, there’s some research to show that high-resistance, moderate-endurance exercises are particularly effective at burning belly fat. These are workouts that combine intervals of aerobic exercise (like jump roping or short bursts of running) with strength or resistance training (like push-ups or lunges). For example, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts follow this model.
There’s no quick way to lose belly fat. Changing your body shape and size takes time. For sustainable weight loss, you should aim to lose no more than 2 lbs a week. Anything faster than that and you’re likely losing water and muscle — not fat.
It’s possible. Drinking alcohol can cause weight gain. It does this by slowing down your metabolism and adding extra calories. And there’s some evidence that people who drink a lot of alcohol may be more likely to gain visceral abdominal fat compared to nondrinkers.
There aren’t any specific foods that burn belly fat. That’s a myth. But if you’re trying to change your overall body weight, eating nutritious foods can help. Specifically, aim for lean proteins, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables. In particular, there’s some evidence that eating more protein and fiber and cutting back on refined carbohydrates can all help with weight loss.
It’s possible. During menopause, it’s common to experience weight gain, especially in the stomach area. There’s some evidence that menopausal hormone therapy (previously known as hormone replacement therapy) may help to prevent belly fat. More research is needed before we can say for sure.
If you’re trying to lose belly fat, there’s no specific exercise that will target that area. But the good news is that any movement routine that combines aerobic (cardio) exercise with strength training is helpful. Both types of exercise are important for fat loss.
Interestingly, there’s some research to show that high-resistance, moderate-endurance exercises are particularly effective at burning belly fat. These are workouts that combine intervals of aerobic exercise (like jump roping or short bursts of running) with strength or resistance training (like push-ups or lunges). For example, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts follow this model.
The bottom line
When it comes to your health, waist size matters. That’s because the more belly fat you have, the bigger your waist size will be. Visceral fat (the type of fat that’s inside your abdomen) seems to be especially hard on your health.
It’s hard to say why some people gain belly fat more easily than others. There are some factors you can control, like alcohol use and exercise. But there are many other factors that you can’t change, like your genetics, age, or sex.
If you’re hoping to change your body shape and size, lifestyle changes can be a good place to start — especially since they come with other health benefits, too. If you’re having trouble reaching your goals, consider talking with your primary care provider for support.
And no matter what you do, remember: Body fatness is just one part of your overall health.
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References
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