This general acceleration in body fat accumulation, particularly sex-specific fat, is attributed mostly to changes in female hormone levels. After adolescence, the accumulation of sex-specific fat more or less stops, or decreases dramatically, in healthy-weight women, and there is usually no further increase in the number of fat cells. Fat cells in males also do not tend to multiply after adolescence.
Men tend to store excess fat in the visceral, or abdominal, region. This deposit has no apparent physiological advantage. On the contrary, it is downright dangerous.
A large potbelly, where waist girth begins to exceed hip girth, is strongly associated with an increased risk of coronary artery disease, diabetes, elevated triglycerides, hypertension, cancer and general overall mortality.
Getting rid of your belly bulge is important for more than just vanity's sake. Excess abdominal fat – particularly visceral fat, the kind that surrounds your organs and puffs your stomach into a "beer gut" – is a predictor of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, insulin resistance, and some cancers.
If diet and exercise haven't done much to reduce your pooch, then your hormones, your age, and other genetic factors may be the reason why.
As you get older, your body changes how it gains and loses weight. Both men and women experience a declining metabolic rate, or the number of calories the body needs to function normally.
On top of that, women have to deal with menopause. If women gain weight after menopause, it's more likely to be in their bellies.
In menopause, production of the hormones estrogen and progesterone slows down. Meanwhile, testosterone levels also start to drop, but at a slower rate. This shift in hormones causes women to hold onto weight in their bellies.
Refined grains like white bread, crackers, and chips, as well as refined sugars in sweetened drinks and desserts increase inflammation in our bodies. Natural foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are full of antioxidants, which have anti-inflammatory properties and may therefore actually prevent belly fat.
At Amaris B. Clinic, we offer customised targeted fat reduction treatments such as VASER® Lipo, liposuction, SmartLipo® and cryolipolysis (fat freezing) that’s tailored to suit any individual.