Why Reducing Abdominal Fat Can Make a Major Impact on Your Health

When it comes to our bodies, so many of us struggle with excess belly fat. Although some view this as purely an aesthetic issue, it’s anything but that.

“There’s a ton of research that shows how visceral fat, which is the type that accumulates in the abdomen, adversely affects our health and overall well-being,” John Kim, DNP, a health and wellness expert and DailyOM course creator, tells us. “And it’s all completely preventable with lifestyle management.”

Interested in learning more? Check out Science-Based Plan to Reduce Visceral Fat.

Meet Your Teacher: John Kim

Early in his career as a nurse practitioner, Kim had the privilege of caring for many patients at the end of their lives. “One of the biggest regrets people would express was ‘I wish I took better care of my health’ or ‘I wish I had a better understanding of how to take control of my health,’” he recalls.

Part of his calling as a healthcare professional has become about providing others with the most accurate, empowering information available. To that end, Kim, who now specializes in orthopedics and sports medicine, has drawn a large following on social media, where his passion for sharing researched-backed ways to promote optimal health is helping others understand their bodies better and learn how to best care for their bodies.

What Is Visceral Fat?

There are two types of body fat in our midsection — and these fats aren’t created equal, Kim says. “The first is called subcutaneous fat, and this is the kind of fat that you can pinch. It’s very superficial under your skin, and assuming you haven’t accumulated too much fat in general, it’s really not much of a health issue.” In other words, although we might not like the way it looks, subcutaneous fat doesn’t negatively affect the rest of our body.

Visceral fat, on the other hand, is hardly harmless — it lays the groundwork for chronic illness and other bodily dysfunctions. “This is the deep, intra-abdominal fat that surrounds your internal organs, like your liver, pancreas, and kidneys,” Kim says. “The reason why it’s so dangerous is because it’s metabolically active, which means it releases different hormones and proteins that are inflammatory for the body.”

Important Things to Know About Visceral Fat

• It’s a health concern, no matter your age. Visceral fat accumulation affects all ages, from children all the way to the elderly, Kim says.
• It’s primarily stored in the abdominal region. A sign of excess visceral fat is a large abdominal area or belly. Those with “apple”-shaped bodies tend to have more visceral fat than “pears.”
• You want some visceral fat in your body. Ultimately, we’re going to need a degree of visceral fat, since it works as insulation, energy storage, and cushioning, Kim says.
• It’s easier to lose visceral fat than subcutaneous fat, Kim says. Specific changes to your diet, exercise program, and overall lifestyle can make a significant impact, and fortunately, it’s easier to lose this type of fat than you might have thought, the expert explains.

Why Reducing Visceral Fat Is Important

Due to the fact that excess visceral fat causes an inflammatory response in the body, Kim says it has the potential to affect your entire well-being — on physical, cognitive, and emotional levels.

Although visceral fat can swell in any body, at any age, Kim says its prevalence might increase as you get older. “As you age, everything tends to slow down. If we’re not focusing on reducing visceral fat through healthy habits, things really start affecting us more.”

There is good news, per Kim. The more you take care to reduce or prevent visceral fat through lifestyle changes, the more you will improve how you feel (and look), regardless of your age.

8 Ways Reducing Visceral Fat Can Help Improve Your Health

Research continually points a finger at too much visceral fat in the abdominal region as one cause of chronic disease, poor mental health, and more. Here, Kim explains eight reasons why reducing visceral fat can positively impact your overall well-being.

1. May Promote Longevity

Studies have found a correlation between visceral fat and mortality. “There’s research that shows when you have an accumulation of visceral fat, you are at increased risk of dying earlier,” Kim says. “It’s very morbid, but that’s the truth.” Therefore, the less visceral fat you have, the more you’re protecting your body long term.

2. Decreases Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

The scientific evidence connecting too much visceral fat with heart disease continues to mount, Kim says — and that the higher amount of visceral fat you have, the more it increases your risk of developing heart disease.

To that end, a study published in 2021 found that belly fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, even for those who have what is considered a healthy-weight BMI. This is why it’s so important to focus on reducing visceral fat, not just weight, for heart health.

3. Regulates and Balances Metabolism

When you have too much intra-abdominal fat, it increases your risk for metabolic disease and insulin resistance, Kim says.

4. Enhances Brain Health and Cognition

Visceral fat doesn’t just affect your physical body, but your mental ability as well.

“There’s a Kaiser Permanente study that showed you are three times more likely to develop dementia if you had an abundance of visceral fat starting at the age of 40,” Kim says. Another study even identified a specific signal in visceral fat that impairs cognition.

5. Helps Reduce Risk of Certain Cancers

“There are so many different things that can happen in the body because of all the different hormones that are released from visceral fat,” Kim says. And that, he says, includes causing different types of cancer.

An integrative review found that visceral obesity can increase the risk of some cancer types, such as colorectal, pancreatic, and gastroesophageal cancer, as well as breast and endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women.

6. Can Help Prevent Arthritis

There are certain diseases associated with visceral fat, and according to Kim, that includes conditions like arthritis. Case in point: a recent study that linked visceral fat to osteoarthritis.

7. Supports Gut Health

Too much visceral fat increases the risk of inflammation in your gut, Kim says. “This can result in leaky gut syndrome, where the permeability of the gut barrier gets thinned out or leaks out. And we know from research that your gut health is associated with mental health, so in that way, we are seeing a lot more mental health issues because of visceral fat accumulation, and because of more inflamed gut health.”

An older study at Rush University Medical Center links excess visceral fat with depression, particularly in overweight adults. Interestingly, subcutaneous fat, on the other hand, showed no correlation with depressive symptoms.

8. Lowers Possibility of Type 2 Diabetes

A study published in 2012 linked excess visceral fat to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes in obese subjects. Once again, the same wasn’t found true for subcutaneous fat.

The Bottom Line

Losing visceral belly fat means so much more than a simple change in the way you look. And all it takes is implementing simple, science-backed lifestyle adjustments into your daily routine to effect real change in your overall health and well-being.