Belly Fat

One morning this past week on Good Morning America, I heard a news story saying that belly fat in middle age can now be linked to dementia later on.  This really got my attention because dementia happens to run in my family.  My grandmother’s aunt and then my grandmother both suffered from dementia starting in their seventies.  And they both lived to be very old, both of them well into their nineties.  Dementia is not fun for the demented or for their loved ones.  So, I have a healthy fear of this disease.  That’s why I paid even closer attention than normal to this topic of excess weight in the mid-region of the body.

The study was done with Kaiser-Permanente patients.  They found that the ones with the most belly fat were nearly 3 times as likely to get dementia as the ones with the lowest belly fat.  The researchers said that it doesn’t matter so much what you weigh as where you carry your fat.  If you have most of your fat in your hips and thighs, then you’re lucky.  That kind of fat is not nearly as harmful as the fat carried in the abdominal region.  They call this visceral fat. 

Why is this particular fat so harmful?  Because this fat is alive and the researchers believe that it makes toxins in the body.  These toxins can lead to heart disease and diabetes as well as dementia.  Dementia was already linked to diabetes and heart disease even before this study.  And in addition to this study, I had read numerous other articles saying that belly fat is especially dangerous. 

So, it’s not as important what you weigh as how large you measure around the waist.  The guideline for healthy belly size is no larger than 35 inches around the waist for women or 40 inches for men.  If you have a larger waist size than that, you’re at risk.  And, of course, the larger the measurement, the larger the risk.

 What to do?  Get a tape measure and see what it shows.  And then start to take action to get rid of the excess belly fat.  You can do that by exercise and a healthy diet, especially rich in MUFAs (MonoUnsaturated Fatty Acids).  MUFAs can be found in olive oil and peanut oil, in nuts, and in fruits such as olives and avocados.  Yes, olives and avocados are indeed fruits!  So, incorporate these belly fat fighting MUFAs in your otherwise balanced and healthy diet.

I am pledging to get my tape measure out and see how many inches away from a healthy belly fat waistline I am.  I have a feeling it’s a long way.  But that’s okay.  I can whittle it down to a healthy size for my physical health and my mental health.   And I can have fun doing it.  How about some delicious cashew chicken stirfry?  See?  Let’s do it together.

Diana

Original post by Diana