What is the reason for lower abdominal obesity?

Belly obesity has become a common phenomenon among men. Many men are jokingly called "pregnant women" because they have a lot of fat accumulated in their abdomens, which cannot be eliminated no matter what method is used. To completely solve the problem of belly obesity, we should start with the cause.

1. Excessive pressure

Whatever the source of stress, whether it’s time pressure, financial problems, or worrying about your kids, it can make it harder to lose excess fat, especially around your belly. Not only is it easier to eat high-fat, high-calorie foods when you’re stressed, but the stress hormone cortisol also increases the amount of fat your body needs and enlarges your fat cells.

2. Love to eat foods that make your belly grow

The following 4 types of food are particularly likely to make people "grow a big belly".

The first type of food is cooking oil. Cooking oil is almost entirely fat, which is stored indefinitely as belly fat after being digested and absorbed by the human body. In addition, there are foods with a lot of fat, such as fried dough sticks, oil cakes, crispy biscuits, and instant noodles.

The second type of food is refined grains, such as white rice, white steamed bread, white noodles, etc. They will stimulate the secretion of large amounts of insulin and cause fat to concentrate in the belly.

The third type of food is drinks and sweets, which contain a lot of sugar and will promote the formation of belly fat.

The fourth type of food is alcohol. Alcohol will cause excess energy, accumulate in the abdomen, and accelerate the formation of belly fat.

3. Wrong exercise method

Doing only aerobic exercise such as running or cycling will not help you lose belly fat. "You need to combine strength training with aerobic training," said Sangita Kashyap, an endocrinologist at the Cleveland Clinic. "This will increase muscle, which can burn more calories than fat."

In addition, insufficient exercise intensity will also greatly reduce the weight loss effect. Studies have shown that people who do high-intensity exercise lose more abdominal fat than those who do low-intensity exercise. It is recommended that you do 250 minutes of moderate intensity or 125 minutes of high-intensity exercise per week.

4. Lack of sleep

Research has found that people who sleep 5 hours or less at night are 30% more likely to gain 13.6 kg or more than those who sleep 7 hours. The National Institutes of Health recommends that adults get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day.