Where We Store Our Fat Matters...Thunder Thighs vs. Beer Bellies
It's interesting where people store fat, isn't it? A woman could have a very small waist, but large buns and thighs or a man could have chicken legs, but a large gut! Besides the fact that this may be very common, where we store our fat matters to our health.
The apple and pear shaped bodies are actually extremely different based on the type of fat that is stored, and what it can do to our bodies. The fat, also known as adipose tissue, that is stored under our skin, as seen in our buns and thighs, is called subcutaneous fat. Subcutaneous fat is actually just non-harmful, benign, many times unattractive, adipose tissue that just sits there. The fat that accumulates around our bellies is subcutaneous fat under the skin, but mainly visceral fat. Visceral fat is beneath the muscle, surrounding the organs, producing harmful chemicals to our bodies. Extensive research shows that this visceral adipose tissue releases harmful chemicals and leads to the systemic low-grade inflammatory state found in obesity1. This inflammation can cause health problems everywhere from cardiovascular disease, to insulin resistance leading to diabetes, to iron deficiency2.
Unfortunately men are the main victims of the beer bellies, but ladies, don't start chugging beers and downing that bowl of ice cream freely! Anyone can be at risk. Lower your risk and reduce your harmful fat through healthy eating and exercise! Don't fall victim to your own fat!
To learn more about how Melissa Bowman and PhysioLife Studios can help you lose weight and become healthier, call the studio at 312-255-8308.
1Trayhurn, Biochemical Society Transactions, 2005.
2Lecube, Internat'l Journal of Obesity, 2008.
2Lecube, Internat'l Journal of Obesity, 2008.