Dr Zoe Williams discusses visceral fat on This Morning
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Researchers based at the School of Public Health investigated the effects of a warm beverage on those established to have a “high proportion of visceral fat”. The team – at Peking University, China – included 118 volunteers in their research study. Participants were randomly assigned one of three beverages to consume for “12 weeks”:
- A control beverage
- 68.7mg caffeine
- 609.3mg catechins.
“Abdominal fat area, body weight and composition were measured at week zero, week eight, and week 12,” the researchers noted.
Out of 118 participants, 104 people completed the three-month trial.
The researchers discovered that visceral fat, body weight, and body fat were reduced “significantly” by catechin-enriched green tea treatment.
These effects were not seen in the control group, suggesting that catechins – found in green tea – can be beneficial for people’s health.
The researchers concluded: “Consumption of the catechin-enriched green tea beverage for 12 weeks induced visceral fat loss.”
Visceral fat Vs subcutaneous fat
The fat you can pinch with your fingers is known as subcutaneous fat.
This type of fat, just underneath the skin, is less dangerous than visceral fat.
Visceral fat, for instance, builds up around internal organs – and even slim people could be carrying harmful levels of the fat.
Experts at WebMD highlighted a hypothesis around visceral fat and why it is so dangerous.
“Researchers suspect that visceral fat makes more of certain proteins that inflame your body’s tissues and organs and narrow your blood vessels,” the experts explained.
“That can make your blood pressure go up and cause other problems.”
One of the easiest ways to get a “rough estimate” as to how much visceral fat you are carrying is to measure your waist.
Placing a tape measure, horizontally, around your torso – in line with your belly button – should be telling.
In women, a waist circumference of 35 inches or more is considered a sign of high visceral fat levels.
For men, the waist measurement is 40 inches before high visceral fat levels are suspected.
As a precautionary measure, according to the study’s results, green tea could help get rid of visceral fat.
Another key measure, verified by WebMD, is to “keep moving” your body.
Exercise can help you lose both types of body fats: visceral and subcutaneous fat.
The NHS recommends everybody to do at least 30 minutes of daily exercise.
If you are struggling to do this in one session, you can break down activity levels into three 10-minute slots.
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