 Do you know what happens to the fat you have ingested, in particular the amount that is in excess of your body’s needs? Excess dietary fats can go to your belly!
Let's trace the route of the fat you have eaten. Dietary fat is broken down into fatty acids and glycerol in your stomach and small intestines. However, only 5% is convertible into glucose as it is not the body’s preferred choice of fuel or energy source. The excess dietary fats will be stored as body fat in the adipose or fat tissues. Fat storage is your body’s survival strategy such that your body will maximise the energy efficiency in terms of the creation, storage and usage of your body fat. Basically, body fat will be stored in the midsection (abdomen, hips & buttocks). The fat stored around the stomach is known as intra-abdominal/visceral fat or in simple terms, belly fat.
|
 |
Belly fat is very different from other fat storage sites. During stressful moments, stress hormones are elevated and your body will start to build up fat, especially belly fat. In addition to fat build up around your belly in response to the stressful events, there is also a reduction of muscle mass.
Furthermore, belly fat has been scientifically associated with many health problems, which include bloating, heartburn, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer and dementia.
 To sum it up, daily food (calorie) intake and physical activities are important factors to consider in getting a trim figure. Regardless of whether weight loss or healthy weight maintenance is your main objective, the balance of energy input to energy output (daily calorie intake and expenditure) is crucial.
|
Facebook