News

May 05, 2023

What is visceral body fat? What to know and how you can measure it

Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell us that more

Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tell us that more than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese, and the numbers keep climbing in our children. Although we hear a lot about the health-destroying implications of excess body fat, an important distinction rarely is mentioned. Where you store body fat can have a major impact on your health.

When it comes to where you store body fat, locations include around the waist or below the waist. It's also important to know that body fat is stored either above or beneath the muscle layer. Location typically is influenced by gender. Men tend to store body fat around the waist and beneath the muscle layer. Women do the opposite and tend to store fat below the waist and above the muscle layer.

When fat is stored around the waist and beneath the muscle layer it is called "deep" body fat, also known as visceral fat. A major problem with excess visceral fat is the promotion of inflammation, a core factor that increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, and Type 2 diabetes.

You may like:Sit-up vs. planks: What's better for core strength? Here's what to know

In contrast to the way men tend to store body fat, women can store lots of fat directly beneath the skin (subcutaneous fat) and below the waist, on the hips, thighs, and buttocks with little or no damage to health. However, after menopause, the hormonal profile of women becomes more male-like and excess fat is deposited deep and around the waist, increasing health risks.

It's common for men to underestimate the amount of visceral fat on their bodies. The reason is, you can have a relatively flat or solid midsection but still have considerable visceral fat. This is called "thin outside, fat inside."

Here is an example. Years ago, a man and wife (I’ll call them Fred and Ethel) came to me for advice as to how best to lose weight and keep it off. When they entered my office, I noticed that Ethel, at about 5 feet 5 inches and 135 pounds, didn't have a weight problem. In contrast, Fred had a huge pot belly that hung well over his belt. Naively, I assumed they came out of concern for Fred's health. Wrong!

Ethel spoke first and told me: "Fred wants me to lose weight because when I walk he says I jiggle."

Seriously, these were her exact words.

Amazed, I shot a look at Fred who was quick to respond. He said, "Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Because I've got this belly, you think I'm fat, but I'm not. Here, poke it and you'll see it's solid as a rock. No fat there. She's the one with too much fat."

You may like:Want to lose belly fat? Here's 3 exercise, diet changes to start doing

I chuckled, and for Ethel's benefit, I proceeded to burst Fred's bubble.

"Fred, the reason your midsection is solid as a rock is that your poor overworked abdominal muscles are stretched like banjo strings over a huge amount of deep belly fat. Please believe me when I tell you that as a graduate student, dissecting obese human male cadavers, once you cut through the abdominal muscles you see a huge tub of body fat that looks like yellow tapioca pudding. It's deep body fat and it's very dangerous to your health. Now, as to Ethel, she 'jiggles' because she stores much of her body fat subcutaneously, directly beneath the skin. That's why women are softer to the touch, and also a big reason why they are healthier and outlive us men."

Fred didn't like my answer. He shot up out of his chair, huffed and puffed and told Ethel they were leaving. On the way out the door, Ethel turned, smiled, and winked at me, telling me thanks even though my efforts to set Fred straight were obviously unsuccessful.

Measuring deep, visceral body fat is difficult because it is hidden beneath the abdominal muscle layer. There are very expensive "imaging" tests that can be used, but these are available only in advanced and sophisticated research laboratories. However, to get a gross idea of what's going on you can take a waist measurement. Wrap a tape measure around the waist at the level of the belly button. Stand naturally, and don't suck in your gut.

If you measure 40 inches or greater in men, 35 inches or greater in women, indications are you have too much visceral fat. However, the waist measurement is a problem for very large men. An NFL tight end, six feet six inches tall and 270 pounds could have a 40-inch waist simply because of the overall size of his body.

You may like:What are varicose veins? Here are 4 things to know and how to treat them

For large men, an option is the Waist-to-Hip ratio. Take an additional measurement around the hips at the widest part, then compute the ratio by dividing the waist measurement by the hip measurement. For example, if the waist is 36 inches and the hip measurement is 40, the ratio is 36/40 = .90.

What is a healthy ratio? World Health Organization guidelines suggest that excess visceral (deep) body fat also known as "abdominal obesity" is defined as a Waist-to-Hip ratio above .90 for males and above .85 for females. Women naturally have broader hips and that's why their ratios tend to be smaller.

A tactic to help get you motivated is to remove your clothes, stand sideways in front of a full-length mirror, relax, and take a critical look. A protruding belly (even if it's hard as a rock) will tell you everything you need to know.

Reach Bryant Stamford, a professor of kinesiology and integrative physiology at Hanover College, at [email protected].